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by Crazyeight
Summary: Fears of the Dark Age rapidly approaches. The old champions are lost; vanished amidst a sea of fear and distrust. New heroes must take up arms. They must rise and become the new defenders of the Age; the bearers of courage. The symbols. The...icon. Rise, and be true. Very AU. Chapter 31: See final author's note
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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A Digimon-ish story by Crazyeight

Chapter: 1

The office building stood in the cloak of night, dark save for the odd light within and the illumination of its neighbors from without. Across from it stood a small, lithe figure wearing dark khakis, a dark-blue T-shirt, and a similarly colored mask covering their face. In the dim light, violet eyes flashed as the figure, feminine in appearance, took a step back and jumped. She flew the distance across the divide between the buildings and came down on the rooftop hard. Chips of stone and mortar scrabbled across as she hit the surface and fell into a roll. Quickly getting to her feet, she glanced around quickly before relaxing her stance. She pressed a finger to her ear.

"All clear," she said to the quiet of the night.

_"Okay,"_ replied a voice, male and deep, on the other end. _"Your target is on the eighth floor in the director's office."_

"Roger." The girl felt her lips tug upwards under the mask, as if at a joke known only to her.

_"Be careful,"_ warned the voice on the other end. _"Security is heaviest in his office. You have to keep your F.S. Field as low as possible…"_

"I know the routine," the girl replied, her smile vanishing almost as soon as it appeared. She quickly zeroed in on the building's rooftop entrance and made her way to it. Stopping in front of it, she checked the door—more out of curiosity than anything else—and turned the handle. As she expected, it didn't budge so much as an inch.

She furrowed her brow and reached for the belt wrapped around her waist. Withdrawing a circular device from one of the belt's pouches, she pressed it against the door and hit the small, red button in its center. A green light lit up and at once the door popped open with a beep. Removing the device hastily, the girl entered the door and after pulling out a flashlight and clicking it on, she carefully began to make her way down the stairwell.

_Thirteenth floor,_ she thought with dry amusement, seeing the number on the wall as he passed one of the doors leading to the top inhabited section of the building. _The designer certainly wasn't superstitious._

She paused for a moment, briefly curious to see what lay on the other side, but remembering her job she quickly passed it up and continued her journey downward.

Five floors later, she found herself at her destination. Checking the door handle as she did earlier she again withdrew the circular device and pressed it against its surface. She waited for a moment before raising her free hand to her ear.

"Are you still with me?" she asked under her breath.

_"Yeah,"_ the voice replied. _"Sorry. The security on this one is a bit tighter. Just a nano."_

The girl nodded, waiting. Her patience was soon rewarded by the click of the locking mechanism and she pulled quickly. Retrieving her device she slipped inside and flashed the light around her, quickly taking in her surroundings.

"Seven spheres," she whispered, hand back at her ear again as she swung her light around once more, making note of everything she saw. "Looks like they're pretty serious."

_"According to my source, there should be eight. He doesn't know where it is though, so…"_

"Be careful, and don't use my F.S. Field," the girl interrupted. "Got it." Her eyes narrowed a little as she traced the hallway. Imbedded in the ceiling were seven black orbs evenly spaced out. Swallowing, the girl closed her eyes and concentrated.

_I have to make myself as undetectable as possible. Can't let all this be for nothing._

In her mind's eye she envisioned a ball of blue light, flickering within darkness. Focusing on that light, she took a deep breath. Envisioning the light dimming, she felt an energy within her lessen. Taking a couple more calming breaths, she reopened her eyes and stepped beneath the spheres, her muscles fighting the urge to tighten beneath them every step of the way. After what felt like an eternity of nerve-grinding tension, she cleared the last one and proceeded onward.

_I should be coming up on it soon,_ she thought, counting off the numbers on the office doors as she went. _Let's see… Which one…? Ah._ An invisible grin crossed her features as she came to a stop. _There it is._

"Okay," she said to her companion, one hand back to her ear. "I'm at the office and I'm about to crack it."

_"All right. Let's take this one step at a time. Given that this is the Director's office he's undoubtedly got an extra layer of security. If we're not careful, we could end up running into the eighth sphere or even a Hall Monitor…"_

"I can handle them," the girl growled slightly under her voice. She instantly regretted doing so as behind her she heard the wine of machinery powering up and a red light instantly flooded the hallway. Spinning on a dime, her eyes widened just in time to see three black spheres drop from the ceiling, angry red lasers glaring at her.

"Shit!" she swore. "Your info was wrong! There were more!"

_"Get out of the…!"_

The girl didn't wait to hear the rest of his sentence. In her mind's eye, the light she had been keeping down flooded her senses and she spun once more, right fist crashing into the door and shattering it to pieces. Leaping inside and narrowly avoiding deadly bolts of crimson light as they scorched the spot she had just been, she rushed over to the desk at the center of the room.

_I am _not _leaving here without something!_ she shouted in her mind, spying the computer desktop on the desk. She ripped out cords and connectors, her ears straining for the slightest sound behind her.

A twitch in her muscles at the sound of a warbling sound and she hurled the desktop's screen at the first of the spheres as it came through the door. Both exploded with a flash of fire and shrapnel.

_At least it wasn't built into the hard drive,_ she reflected, snatching up the remnants of the computer. Blue light formed around one gloved hand and pulled together in the center of her palm, a glowing star in the dark room. Gritting her teeth behind her mask, she pointed it at the window.

_"Hey! What are you doing?" _demanded the voice of her partner-in-crime, panicking.

"No sense hiding it now!" she exclaimed, letting loose a volley of searing azure. It hit the window, causing the glass to shatter. Taking off at a run, she leapt into the air; light similar to her attack enveloping itself around her body.

A sphere entered the room and zeroed its targeting scanners on the girl's back.

_"Adjusting weapon frequency to match target's F.S. Field,"_ it intoned before firing. The red light burst forth, briefly connecting the mechanical orb to the girl. The two lights flared upon contact, blue lashing against red as the girl flew across the cities artificial canyon. Biting back a curse in realization, the girl spun and chucked another ball of blue light at her attacker. The sphere's light brightened briefly as it cut off its attack—an act that the girl equated with a widening of eyes in shock—before her attack impacted its body, shattering it and sending its shards flying across the room. What happened after, the girl did not get a chance to see, as her back impacted the ledge of the building she was aiming for. Pain shot through her and she bit back a cry. The light around her flickered feebly for a moment, her distraction nearly cutting it off and causing gravity to assert control over her. Through sheer force of will she clamped down on it, forcing the light to awaken and _burn _inside her. The light flared back to life around her and she glared at the building she had just vacated.

Adjusting her grip on the computer in her arms, she glared down at it. "You're not getting away from me that easily.

The sound of her companion's voice brought her attention away from her prize and she touched her ear.

"Calm down. I got the hard drive, but I had to scram out of there fast."

_I know! Reports are already going out! You've got to…"_ A pause. _"Change of plans. You're going to have to detour and drop it off in our emergency point. PlanPol is mobilizing. Can you get home in time?"_

The girl rolled her eyes.

"You _know_ who you're talking to, right?" she said with a touch of annoyance and haughtiness. Not bothering to wait for her companion's answer, she dropped her hand from her ear and with a tap of one foot on thin air, she flew off, putting in as much speed as she possibly could.

It may not have gone according to plan, but for one Rika Nonaka, she couldn't help but feel pleased with the results.

**…**

A/N: It's been a long time since I last visited this site with the intention of writing, but I wanted to try a bit of an experiment. Recently I came across some limitations when trying to write original stories, primarily in the area of writing original characters and making them interesting. This, coupled with a ill-timed creative burnout has caused some problems, so my hoped-for solution to this problem with characters is more of a transitional one—redesigning what I am familiar with into something new to ease the shift into original fiction. This isn't something that I've seen a lot of approval for in the past, and I must admit I'm a little bit biased as well as it's not quite fanfiction. However, I've seen where it has worked well to create an engaging story, so I would like to take this as an opportunity to spread my wings.

So I would like to take this moment to remind all readers that this won't be your typical digimon story. Some of the characters will be absent or changed in appearance to fit the world they're in (namely the digimon ones, but they likely won't be the only ones). Only time will tell if this will be a good thing, but I'm hoping that, at the very least, it will break me out of the wall I'm up against. In either case, I hope that you all enjoy the story, in spite of its shortcomings and faults.

Welcome back to the world of Crazyeight. :)

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 2

In the light of day a young boy by the name of Takato Matsuki raced down the beaten pathway of Shinjuku Park, a large, dopy smile shining on his face, his arms holding a brown paper bag close to his chest. His light-brown hair that normally threatened to fall over his crimson eyes blew safely away from the wind.

_Today is going to be a good day,_ he thought, the corners of his lips tugging tightly, trying with all their might to widen the smile. It was no good, as the muscles were already at their limit, but neither they nor their owner cared. Happiness burned a hole in his heart and was presently flooding every fiber of his being. His artistic mind envisioned a sea of liquid, golden fire filling every nook and cranny, setting his nerves ablaze. He felt as though he could walk on air if he wanted to. If nothing else, he certainly wished that he could, but unfortunately, fate had not dealt him such cards. Takato was normal in every sense of the word—as normal as a twelve-year old boy could ever be.

Taking a sharp turn, Takato raced up a set of stairs that led up a steep hill. As he neared the top, a small, concrete hut with a steel cage entrance came into view, and his excitement burned all the hotter.

"Guilmon!" he called out, barely able to contain the excitement in his voice. "Chow time!"

Takato drew to a halt in front of the hut's entrance and he was greeted by a loud yap. Looking down, he saw a silver-furred puppy race toward him, barking with what appeared just as much excitement as Takato felt at that moment. "Easy boy," he chuckled, unlocking the cage and drawing it open with a loud creak. "Easy. I know you're hu-hey!" Takato dropped the bag he was carrying as the puppy leapt out of the cage. Spinning around, he saw the dog disappear into the weeds. At once excitement was replaced by panic and Takato dove into the weeds after the animal. "Hey! Guilmon! Come on! Get back here! What if someone sees you?" He looked around furtively, worry crossing his face. _Oh man… I only just got him yesterday. If the pound catches him, I won't be able to get him out. My parents…_

His worry evaporated into relief as he quickly spied the dog, leg up and with a stream of yellow piss trickling onto the root of a tree. The puppy looked up at him with big, dark eyes that seemed to ask, _"What?"_ Takato laughed and shook his head as he dropped down next to the dog.

"You've got to be more careful, Guilmon," he said to the dog as his stream of urine dropped off to nothing. Reaching out he began to rub the pup's ears, to which he responded to with an affectionate nuzzle and moan. Takato smiled and withdrew his hand, only for the puppy to try and crawl into his lap. "Okay, okay," the boy laughed, lifting the animal into his arms. "I'm glad to see you too. I… Yuck!" Takato's face jerked back as Guilmon's tongue swept out and attempted to nail his face, but it wasn't that to which Takato was proclaiming his disgust to. A warm trickle made its presence known as it dribbled onto his arm. "Man…" he sighed, shifting Guilmon in his arms. "There's got to be a way to teach you how to wipe yourself off."

Guilmon's response was another tongue lashing. Takato scowled.

"A _better _way!"

**…**

"Let's see…" Takato frowned as he set Guilmon down back inside the hut. Pulling over the brown bag, he withdrew a shining metal bowl and a small bag of dog food. Withdrawing a pocket knife, he sliced open the bag and poured a handful into the bowl and laid it out for Guilmon. The dog sniffed it carefully before dropping his head into it. The sound of clanging metal once more drew a smile on Takato's face as relief swept through him.

"Well, that's one worry out of the way," he breathed, setting himself back a bit. "That took most of my allowance. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't like that." His lips set themselves into one thin line as he watched Guilmon dig into his food with excited speed.

_He must have been pretty hungry. I probably would be too, if I were living on my own like he was. My parents are always saying that I just can't take care of myself…_

His mind paused as he remembered how he found Guilmon in an alleyway just yesterday, looking forlorn and lost with no nametag or any other identification. His eyes were drawn to the spots of dirt that marred the puppy's fur…dirt that would undoubtedly cause his parents to look at him with stark disapproval if he ever tried to bring him home.

_They worry a lot about appearances…_ he thought. Reaching over, he placed his hand on Guilmon's back and began to stroke his fur gently. His coat was like silk to the touch.

"Who could say no to you?" Takato asked Guilmon in a low voice. The puppy didn't answer as it continued to crunch and clang away with its meal. Takato continued to stroke his fur for a moment longer before finally dropping his hand. "I'll have to figure something out so I can keep feeding you and give you a warm place to stay at night. I don't think this place is very nice at night."

_Especially not once fall starts,_ Takato mused. _Well, it's fine now. It's only the middle of summer. I'll have plenty of time to worry about that._

One last clang and Guilmon brought his head up, tongue licking at his chops and eyes shining eagerly. Takato's heart melted a little and he laughed. "That's going to have to be all for now, Guilmon," he said, reaching into the bag once more and withdrawing a leash and collar. "How about we go for a walk?"

**…**

Takato was doing his best to keep from getting dragged along by Guilmon, but the puppy had a mind and physical strength that went beyond anything his scrawny body could muster. For the time being, he allowed himself to be led by the dog, only to protest whenever Guilmon tried to drag them in directions that Takato felt would be ill-advised to go…namely any place that would be _too _public.

Of course, this being the central park to the city, finding a lack of people was practically impossible, especially on a weekend where everyone was out and taking advantage of the beautiful day. There were some places Takato preferred to avoid altogether though, namely where he and his friends, Kazu and Kenta, liked to hang out.

_If one of those two saw Guilmon, they'd end up spilling it to my Dad, and then I'd be made to give him up. I can't trust those two with any secrets…_

The dog pulled and dragged, his nose snuffling and sniffing every step of the way. Takato was ultimately helpless before his boundless energy. Left with no choice but to go along for the time being and hope that he grew tired of the endless bounding around before someone he knew spied him (_Where does he get all this energy?_ he couldn't help but wonder), Takato took in the sights, laughing every so often as Guilmon made a particularly loud snuff and exploded with a powerful sneeze.

"That's got to be pretty rough on the old nose, huh boy?" Takato asked, grinning as the puppy once again pressed his nose to the ground and resumed his quest of sniffiness. "Oh," he said aloud, tapping one finger on his chin. "Wouldn't that be 'young nose'? I mean, you're only a puppy so…yeah."

_I wonder how old he is._ He shrugged his shoulders. Such was one of the risks of keeping the animal a secret. He couldn't' go out of his way to go digging up much information. All he could tell for certain was that Guilmon was small enough to still be at least three months old. Even then though, that was a wild guess. Takato knew about as much as a bug when it came to knowing much about anything involving puppies. A quick visit to a puppy wiki had told him what food he had to buy, but he hadn't been able to stay on for very long. Such was the downside of having his computer where his parents could see him; to make sure that he wouldn't visit sites they didn't want him too.

There were lots of things his parents didn't want him to do.

"Easy boy," Takato grunted, tugging on the leash once more in an attempt to rein the puppy in. Guilmon would have none of it though, and instead pulled mightily, nearly causing the boy to fall forward. As they stumbled around together in their clumsy imitation of tug-of-war, Takato's eyes lit up as they entered a clearing.

The silence was the first thing that he noticed—that anyone noticed really, for this was a very well known spot in the park. For some reason, in this spot of the park—one of a total of seven—all the sounds of wildlife seem to cease. Even Guilmon, who had just scant seconds ago been full of energy, was now still and silent. His puppy-eyes stared ahead of him and at the statue that lay in the center of the clearing; a beam of light spilling through the heavy clouds of tree leaves that otherwise shaded the park, and centering on the statue. Takato found his mouth open in reverence, and he snapped his jaw shut with a clack.

The statue was that of a young man with what appeared to be wild hair sticking out in all directions with a pair of goggles sitting atop his forehead. A heavy cape of sorts was draped over his shoulders, and one arm was raised over his brow, as though shielding it from some bright light—perhaps the very light that streamed down upon him. To anyone who didn't know, it was difficult to say. For Takato, he knew the story as well as anyone in the city. This statue was Tai Kamaya. Called the 'Enkidu' by the western nations, but here he was known as the 'Bearer of Courage'. One of the defenders of the city known as the 'Virtues'. Heroes who stood against evil and stopped the Dark Age from settling over the world.

Now they were all gone.

A loud snap broke Takato out of his thoughts, and he turned to see a bearded man wearing a ball cap stumble into the clearing, a bewildered, panicked look on his face. His small eyes sighted on Takato and he lurched toward him.

"He-help me…" he wheezed. Takato instinctively took a step toward the man, concern appearing instantly in his mind before common sense could take hold.

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked as the man fell in front of him. His hand went out to check and laid itself on his shoulder. A sharp tingle swept up his arm, and Takato jerked backward as though he had been shocked. "Wha…?" he began, but before he could say anything else, the man stood up suddenly and grabbed Takato by the head. The tingling sensation that had been in his hand kicked itself up several notches, erupting full force in his skull. His mouth contorted into a scream of terror mingled with pain. Through the lightning-charged fog in his head, he found that he wasn't screaming at all. The only thing making any noise at that moment was Guilmon, barking and growling like mad at the man that was attacking the boy who fed him.

Somehow, Takato found himself gripping the man's wrists, struggling to pull them apart. The air was crackling with electrical energy now, snapping and snaking around the two. Every part of Takato's body screamed for release…but the man refused to let go.

"Not…just…yet," the man rasped, tightening his grip on Takato's head. In response, Takato gritted his teeth and tried to pull. He failed. He didn't know how, but something was preventing him from doing so, just as something was now keeping him from crying out. He gasped as he felt a particularly powerful jolt course its way through his arms and meet in the center of his chest. His heart gave a nasty lurch and for one long moment, he swore that it ceased beating altogether. His hands dropped to his sides, and he hung there limply, his legs somehow supporting him.

There was another loud bark from Guilmon. He barely heard it in the darkness that was closing in on his senses, but it was there, and it sounded angry. The pressure of the man's hands on his head loosened, and dimly he heard a loud curse followed by a yelp of pain—a puppy in pain.

Something snapped inside Takato just then. His hands grabbed hold of the man's wrists and he pulled, throwing as much strength as he possibly could into it. This time his efforts bore fruit as he pried the man's hands off from around his head and jumped back quickly, crimson eyes rapidly swinging around to locate Guilmon. The puppy was lying on the ground, a scar of singed fur marring his silver coat. He was already getting up though, fangs barred and growling.

"Guilmon!" he called, and the dog's ears perked up. He was on his feet—wobbly but he was moving—and quickly raced over to where Takato stood. Quickly scooping up his friend, Takato spun and bolted, leaving the cap-wearing man behind, slumping down to his knees.

"It's over," the man wheezed, falling forward onto his hands, sparks of electricity dying down around him. "It's done."

Behind him he heard the sound of a mechanical whining, getting closer with each passing second. He signed in resignation and turned to look over his shoulder. It was a quant curiosity really. He knew what to expect. Which was why he was not surprised when he saw a cloud of black orbs with a single glass eye, glowing red, surging toward him.

**…**

Takato raced down the beaten path, his heart beating a gloriously alive—if frantic—pace within his chest. He threw a look over his shoulder to see if there was any sign of pursuit, but in his haste he found himself tripping over a root before he could get a good look. He smashed into the ground—biting his tongue in the process and drawing some blood—causing Guilmon to yelp in his arms.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, struggling off the dog. "I'm sorry, Guilmon! I'm…_Guilmon!"_

Before his frightened eyes, the puppy took off at a run, dragging his leash behind him. Takato staggered to his feet, trying to go after him, but all at once his muscles cramped up, causing him to collapse to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"G-G-Guil…mon…" he groaned, digging his fingers into the dirt and trying to pull himself back up. He had to find his dog. He had to…

A shadow fell over him just then, and looking up, the boy found himself staring at the glowing red eye of a PlanPol orb. He felt himself grow cold as he looked at its glaring, merciless sight.

_"Are you all right, citizen?"_ the black sphere asked in its indifferent, mechanical voice. It didn't sound in the least like it cared; as though the question were a mere formality that had to be done and over with in order to get on with its job.

Trembling, Takato opened his mouth to speak, but no words made their way past his lips. Looking up past the orb, he saw a strange figure flying through the sky, a stream of fire burning behind him. The last thought before he passed out was of Guilmon, and how he wished he could fly.

**…**

Standing a short ways back in the brush, a red-haired girl wearing a white t-shirt with a broken-heart emblem on its chest, along with jeans and a belt looped around its waist, watched the commotion as the black orbs flew around the cap-wearing man who was now lying motionless on the ground. Her violet eyes narrowed slightly as she took it all in.

_"Citizen Rika Nonaka,"_ piped up a voice next to her, causing the girl to jump slightly, startled. Pulling out a pair of ear buds connected to the E-pod attached to her belt, she looked to the side to see one of the orbs watching her, its red eye a passive blue.

_Scan mode,_ she thought with a touch of worry. Grimacing at the sphere she placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, that's me, what's up?"

_"This is a restricted area. You are required to leave immediately."_

Rika glanced over at the man on the ground before returning her gaze to the PlanPol orb. "Yeah, sure. No problem."

With nothing more to say, she turned and headed off into the clearing, knowing full well that the sphere would continue to observe her until she was out of its visual range. Even then though, there was no safety. She cast a look around her at the cloud of spheres zipping this way and that, some with red eyes, others with blue.

_There're always others to keep an eye on me,_ she thought, stepping onto the path and out of the clearing. As she walked along, she saw a young boy—the one that she had seen tangling with the man when she first appeared on the scene—lying on the ground with one of the PlanPol hovering over him, its blue-lit eye scanning him. She narrowed her eyes at him thoughtfully, replaying the scene she witnessed moments ago.

_Could he…?_

Time enough to investigate later, she felt. For now, she had to get out of the area.

As she did so, she heard the sound of something explode above her.

**…**

Atop a tall building, a freckled nine-year old with wild, green and white-dyed hair bristling in all directions, brought a pair of goggles down over his eyes. He grinned crazily and lifted up a heavy, metallic pack, and shrugged it onto his shoulders. Buckling it around his chest, he checked everything to make sure that they were safe and tight.

"Okay," he said quietly to himself. Clicking a button on a bracelet around his wrist, a pair of rocket engines folded outward, jerking him slightly. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out to the ledge, paused, and then jumped.

_"Whooo!"_ He let out a loud whoop as he plummeted to the streets below. Before he even reached critical velocity, he hit another button on the bracelet and the rocket engines flared to life, all but halting his drop. He grunted, but his grin remained plastered on his face.

"Yes!" he whispered as he started to rise. "It works. It _works!_ Just like I knew it would! I…"

A loud alarm blared over the roar of his engines, and he fumbled a small pad from his pocket. A word was painted on it in large, glaring red letters.

_Incoming._

"Shit!" Tapping on his bracelet again he swerved to the side and took off at a rapid pace. No sooner did he do so a group of flying black spheres descended upon him. As they approached him, they began to flash blue and red lights and emit a loud claxon cry.

_"Citizen Teruo Wong,"_ came a flat, robotic voice from the closest flying sphere. _"You are in violation of restricted air space. You are ordered to land and surrender yourself to the authorities."_

"Screw you!" the youth laughed, taking a sharp turn between buildings. The spheres quickly followed suit. There is a click and a whir, and a small tube emerged from the center of one of them.

_"This is your final warning Citizen Teruo Wong,"_ the sphere said. _"Land and surrender yourself to the authorities."_

Teruo responded by tapping his bracelet again, and his rocket pack's engines kicked out as flames spat from their nozzles with increased force.

_"We shall take that as a negative response,"_ the sphere acknowledged, and at once all of them increased their pace, tubes emerging from their hidden compartments. Bright light flashed at their tips, and lanced out towards Teruo' engines. Sparks flew as metal was sheared off, sending him spiraling out of control. Teruo howled a number of curses, frantically tapping the controls on his bracelet, trying to stabilize himself.

"Shit! Shit! Shitshitshitshitshitshit_shit!"_ The pack blew apart via a series of carefully placed explosive bolts, and the fragments went crashing into the streets below. A large parachute billowed outward behind him and caught the wind. Slowly, almost carefully, it deposited him back down to the ground, where it deflated and collapsed. His boots scraped the ground upon landing, and he peeled back his goggles. The spheres, still flashing red and blue surrounded him. With a goofy grin, Teruo pushed his hair back and bent his head slightly to get a better look at them. He licked his lips and raised his hands.

"Sorry for the commotion," he chuckled, glancing around at the wide-eyed bystanders watching the spectacle.

**…**

A/N: So ends another chapter of Icon. The last scene of this is from my first take on this story from some months ago on , with only a couple minor changes. The rest however is all new material, and I had a boatload of fun writing it. It's not perfect and could use some more streamlining, but for now I'll run with it. Anyone confused? Feel free to buzz me about it. Also, free kudos bars to whoever can figure out who Teruo is, as he's actually a canon character that I altered for the purposes of this story. I left a couple clues.

Until next time.

-Crazyeight

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	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 3

"Up and at 'em, Teruo," said the female officer as she approached the boy where he sat—or more accurately _lounged_. He turned his face away from the game he was playing on his cell phone, the bored expression on his face quickly evaporating into eagerness.

"About time he got here," he grinned, quickly exiting the game as the star fighter portrayed on its screen died in a cute, but fiery explosion. Stuffing it into his pants' pocket, he followed the officer, a grin blooming on his face.

"So, Jenny," he said in a teasing tone. "Are you sick of my face yet? This is the third time in the past month that I've been in here."

"Knock it off," Jenny replied in a stiff, professional tone. "Do you realize how much it costs just to file the paperwork every time we bring you in?"

"Not quite." Teruo folded his arms behind his green and white colored hair, grinning all the while as they neared the front desk. "I'm getting a clear idea though. I imagine all it would take to solve that problem would be to charge me rent for the use of that chair I was just in. I can see it now." Teruo unfolded his hands and brought them before him, spacing them out dramatically. "The first chair to be rented by a repeat offender. I ought to take a picture."

"It'll certainly last longer," muttered Officer Jenny.

"You _are _getting sick of my face," laughed Teruo. "Take it easy. I won't be able to come up with a plan in time to get brought in a fourth time. Not with July almost over anyway. Ha!"

Jenny didn't respond to the boy's jab as they drew to a halt. Instead she raised her right hand to her head, snapping a salute to the grey-haired man standing before the desk, talking to a considerably younger, slightly dark-of-skin man with dark hair and grey eyes who was in the process of filling out some paperwork.

"I've brought the perp as ordered, sir. Request permission to hand cuff him to his guardian this time."

Teruo laughed. "Didn't know you were into cuffs, Jenny," he hooted delightedly. "Now I absolutely have to get arrested a fourth time, just to see if she'll break them out for him."

The young man groaned and appeared to resist slumping forward. "Teruo…"

"Take it easy, Henry," the boy winked conspiratorial manner at Jenny, whose face was now flushing dark red at him. "I get the feeling that you'll need that kind of attitude with Jenny here." He jerked a thumb at the woman, her eyes narrowing into deadly slits. "I think she's got a bit of a mean streak to her."

"That will be enough out of you, Teruo," snapped the grey-haired man, leveling a dark look on the young boy. Something passed behind his dark eyes that made Teruo's mouth—normally ready with a snappy comeback—consider asking his fingers in helping sew itself shut to ensure future silence.

"Thank you Captain Oakes," Henry sighed, shaking his head. He placed the pen down and turned to the boy. "All right, kid. Let's go."

Teruo nodded. He cast a look at Jenny's direction and his lips twitched, wanting to make one more shot at her expense, but the wiser part of his brain took hold of the reins and pulled them taut. Properly restrained, he followed Henry out after he made one last apology. Once outside however, his mouth broke free from the gate, and quickly clamored to reach its finish line.

"She's got the hots for you, you know," he said bluntly, withdrawing his cell phone and browsing through his messages. "I'm only doing this for you."

Henry fixed the boy with a hard glare that spoke more volumes than what Teruo believed he ever had—or would—in his life. That was all right, he supposed. The idea of Henry getting riled up pleased him a little.

_I just wish he would be more out in the open about his feelings. He's not going to get anywhere if all he does is let people walk all over him._

"You have a funny way of 'helping me'," Henry replied over his thoughts as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Do I even need to point out that you're the reason that I haven't been on a date in over a year?"

Teruo shrugged nonchalantly. To the average passerby, one might be shocked at hearing such a statement, especially as Henry was Teruo's appointed guardian. To those that were a bit more familiar with them, it was a perfectly normal—to use the term loosely—facet of their relationship. If nothing else, they believed in being honest to each other, and while Henry was reserved often, they didn't hold back from each other.

In all fairness, Teruo started it.

"Not my fault. You're always so serious," Teruo said, flipping from one message to the next with absolutely no interest. The one he was looking for had not arrived yet it seemed.

"Don't start that up again," Henry replied, attempting to hail down a taxi and failing. He frowned at his charge and with lightning reflexes snatched up the cell phone out of Teruo's hands.

"Hey!"

"Listen to me when I'm talking to you," Henry said firmly, jabbing the corner of the phone in his direction as though it were a parental finger expressing frank disapproval. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. _Don't make a spectacle…"_

_ "…of yourself,"_ Teruo finished, annoyed. "I know. And you haven't said it a thousand times. Just forty."

Henry continued to glower at him, not wanting to reveal his surprise that the child had bothered to keep track.

"It sure feels like a thousand sometimes. Remember, you get to walk around free as long as you keep a low profile. Keep up what you did today and PlanPol _cannot_ protect you anymore. There are still too many people out there that are…" Henry clamped his mouth shut and looked around him before returning his gaze back to Teruo. "Just keep your head down, if not for my sake than for yours." Henry handed him back his phone. "Okay? This would a lot easier for the both of us you know."

"I hate having to hide," grumbled Teruo, taking back his phone.

"You were just telling me to take it easy," Henry sighed.

"It's not the same thing…"

"It can't be helped. _That _you've at least been told a thousand times."

"Only one hundred and seventy four." Teruo paused. "For this sort of thing anyway."

_Great how he keeps score…_ He gave the boy a sympathetic look. "Sorry about that. How about I pop in your favorite movie when we get back to the house?"_ That usually takes the edge off our little arguments…_

Teruo surprised him by shaking his head. "Can't. I'm busy."

Henry raised an eyebrow at that. _He's turning down his favorite film, Five Folds Eight?_ An alarm bell sounded in his mind. "Not to pry, but may I ask what with? You're not in school right now…"

"Private project."

_Uh oh._ Henry thought back to the jet pack incident. "Another machine you've been tinkering with? Teruo…"

"I don't have anything like that in the works. That backpack was all that I had time to put together recently, and there's only so much I can do with a visit to the junkyard." Teruo scowled. "I can't believe that PlanPol confiscated it. I worked hard on it too."

"They destroyed it too."

"Thanks for reminding me." Teruo grimaced. "It took me months just to get everything to work right without risking burning my butt off, and I don't have near enough the budget to build another one." A devilish grin appeared on his face just then. "Guess I'll just have to cheap it for my next trick if I want to get you and Jenny to see each other again by the end of the month. She's waiting on you. Why _don't _you make the first move? It's so sad that you look like you're depending on me just to have an excuse to see her."

"Teruo…" began Henry warningly. The boy laughed heartily, but Henry couldn't help but notice that the laugh rang a bit empty.

_Life for the Heros is never an easy one when it's unfulfilled…_

**…**

Rika Nonaka stood outside Shinjuku hospital, cell phone to her ear as she waited for her call to go through. After a moment of ringing, there was a click on the other end and she began speaking, not allowing her contact to get a word in edgewise.

"I'm outside Shinjuku hospital right now. There's been a change in plans."

_"…So I guessed,"_ the voice on the other end replied, taken aback a bit by the girl's take-charge attitude. _"When you didn't report in right away I was worried. So what's going on?"_

"Shibumi's been nabbed by PlanPol. I don't know what he did to catch their attention, but they zeroed in on him."

_"Do you know if he's all right? Was he injured or…?"_

"I'm not there in the interrogation room with him," Rika interjected. "But that's not all that's happened. I got to the designated location just before PlanPol caught him. He…did something to some kid that showed up there around the same time he did."

She allowed a moment to let that sink in.

_ "I see," _the voice said finally. _"You don't think that he…?"_

"You told me yourself that he can unlock possibilities as well as see them. That's his Heros power."

_"That's true."_ There was a brief silence as the voice on the other end contemplated this recent development. _"I'll see what I can do on my end. The security should be light so I may be able to get a name and address to you without any trouble. In the meantime…"_

"I'll stake things out." Rika narrowed her violet eyes and nodded. "Keep me posted."

Her companion hung up and Rika lowered the phone, staring at it for a moment before finally pocketing it. Pulling out her E-pod she slipped it onto her belt and placed the ear buds where they belonged. As the tune to the first song on her playlist started, Rika kept a firm gaze fixed on the hospital. A brief, azure light flashed in her eyes before returning to normal.

**…**

In his dream he was flying, soaring above the clouds, the wind slashing past his face and through his hair, and he was laughing through it all the while. The freedom of breaking free from the constraints of gravity and go where he would to his heart's content filled him with great joy unmatched by anything that he could remember. _Not even when I found Guilmon…_

At that thought, there was a sudden change just then, and at once he fell down, crashing through the clouds and leaving the bright sun above behind to crash into the deep water below. The hard liquid surface slapped against his back like a full-body whip, and he hung there, suspended for a moment before sinking beneath the waves. Water flowed over his body in a way that made him think that an innumerable number of fingers were wrapping around him, and at once Takato began to struggle, hands and feet lashing out against the ocean. To his surprise, his struggles merely strengthened the hold that the water held over him, and within short order the cloudy sky above him disappeared; replaced by a deepening darkness broken only by the momentarily slightly obscured light of the sun. He struggled relentlessly, but nothing he did helped return him to the freedom he had scant moments ago. There was now only a faint glimmer of light above him, and the crushing pressure of the water as it sat atop his chest, waiting like an eager predator for him to gasp for breath so it could rush in and fill his lungs…

Against his will, Takato's mouth opened, and in it rushed.

**…**

Takato gasped for breath as he sat up suddenly, a cry dying in his throat before it could build to its crescendo. He looked around, confused and bleary eyed at his surroundings. He found himself in a plain, white room with a TV hanging in one corner of the room, and a potted plant sitting on top of a round, wooden table. He could hear the hustle and bustle of people somewhere outside of the room, and the voice of someone speaking over what sounded like an intercom. His eyes finally landed on the group of people standing in the corner of the room—his parents talking to a man wearing what looked like a white lab coat.

His wrist brushed up against the light blue gown that was most definitely not the clothes he left home with that morning. A puzzle piece fit together as the memory of the man 'attacking' him (_Did he attack me? _Takato found himself wondering) from that morning infiltrated his thoughts.

"Am I in the hospital?" he asked aloud, tugging on his new clothes and doing a quick inspection of himself, half-afraid over what he might find. His voice caught the attention of the adults and they all turned toward him.

"Takato!" his mother exclaimed, brushing past the doctor and starting toward him. No sooner did she do so, her husband and Takato's father placed a restraining hand on her shoulder and she stopped. Quickly composing herself and adjusting her purse's shoulder strap, she coughed and folded her arms beneath her breasts. "How…how are you feeling?"

Takato scratched his head and tilted his head to one side. How _did _he feel?

"Um…besides a bit weirded out by this dream I just had, I'm…feeling kind of hungry."

The doctor stepped around Mrs. Matsuki and withdrew a pen light from his coat pocket. "At least your appetite is fine," he chuckled, shining the light in the boy's eye. "It is past noon now and you've been unconscious for about three hours. Could you elaborate on your dream a bit?"

"Huh?" Takato raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh. Well, it was really bright out and I was flying I guess. Then I fell into a dark a ocean and drowned." He chuckled. "Nothing too bizarre about it, but…" Takato shrugged. "I don't know. It felt really real." He frowned and stared at his hands. "Really, _really_ weird. Almost like…I should be wet from my…swim?" Takato forced a chuckle and rubbed the back of his head unconsciously. "That's stupid though. Lots of people have realistic dreams."

"Hmmm…" The doctor pocketed his pen light and stood up. "That is true enough. If you'll excuse me and your parents for a moment…"

"Uh…sure?"

"Hang in there, Takato," called the boy's father as the two adults turned to follow the white-coat-wearing man outside the room. Takato nodded as he watched them go and then, after a moment, flopped down on the bed, basking in its soft coziness as the events of that morning quickly caught up to him. All the memories were filling themselves in, taking their seats in his head. It seemed so…unreal. He had been attacked at random by some stranger who had some kind of powers…that was bad and unsettling. Not only that, the stranger had attacked his dog.

The thought of Guilmon, now missing, caused the boy's face to tighten. He had to go find him as the earliest chance he got.

_ I'll bet he's scared out of his mind, poor guy,_ he thought, not noticing the curl of electricity snaking around one finger.

**…**

"I'm afraid that your son has become a Heros," the doctor said succinctly to Mie and Takehiro Matsuki as they stood outside Takato's room. He checked their reactions as they both looked at each other. Mie, the boy's mother, looked the most apprehensive while Takehiro, the father, let it sink in and appeared the most to be trying to project an aura of calm.

That was good in a way. The doctor had been blunt, and not all adults reacted well to such news—perhaps too blunt. Once there had been a time when parents' wouldn't have been so uncertain looking, but that day and Age was long past. Reality settled in during the Great War and now no one looked upon the condition as something to be proud of.

"Okay," said Takehiro after a moment. "What are our options?"

"The first is that you're going to have to sign some paperwork," said the doctor, removing his glasses and cleaning them before putting them back on. "Your son is unregistered and he's going to have to require a Monitor to make sure he doesn't use his newfound powers. Were he born as an Active Heros, this would have been taken care of already, but…"

"I only had one family member who had Active abilities," Takehiro mentioned, sighing heavily. The doctor nodded.

"Inactives generally aren't seen as anything to worry about and require some type of energy or external 'spark', if you will, to activate the Heros gene. Without that spark, they can live their entire lives without ever changing. With the spark…" The doctor shrugged. "As long as they don't practice, there's a chance that they will live a normal life. It will require some kind of suppressant, and Takato is still in the early stages… If it can be caught quickly enough, we shouldn't have to worry."

"Are you _sure _that he's…changed?" Mie asked tentatively, her hands tightening around the strap of her purse. "He doesn't look like it…"

"As I said, he was born as an Inactive," the doctor replied, pushing up his glasses. "Unlike Actives, the change isn't likely to be as extreme. Most Actives for that matter don't always appear different from either you or me. Any obvious changes appear as they enter puberty and only the most extreme of abilities cause serious changes in appearance. We're doing the blood work now to make sure, but your son does exhibit some of the signs. Unusually realistic dreams; increased appetite… Granted, your son has only just woken up and lucid dreams can appear in anyone but it can be said that the _imagery_ of the dream is what's telling. The 'smoking gun', if you would." The doctor paused before continuing. "It always involves two opposites, usually light and darkness. And it _always_ starts with dreams."

**…**

A/N: Pounded this one out pretty quick last night and this morning in a total of only three hours. I haven't done that in a long time now, and I have to admit, it feels good to get back into my old pace once again. The style is a little off, and a bit faster than I would like, but hopefully things will settle down as I get back into the swing of things and the plot starts to take shape. Until next time.

-Crazyeight

6


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 4

A woman with maroon-colored hair watched the video recording on her desktop, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. There was a knock on the door to her office and the woman paused the video.

"Come in," she said. The door clicked open and she looked up to see a woman with short, light-brown, closely cropped hair enter. The two nodded to each other.

"The prisoner is ready for interrogation, Ms. Ootori," the woman said.

"Thank you, Tally," she replied, glancing at the monitor. Turning it around, she beckoned for Tally to come forward. Furrowing her brow, she did just that.

"That's the kid that was found at the scene," Tally said, taking in the paused image.

"Yes," Ootori replied, leaning forward and threading her fingers together. "Do we have anything on him?"

"PlanPol Drones registered him as…" Tally took a moment to recall the information. "…Takato Matsuki. Age twelve. He's currently at Shinjuku Hospital."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing as of yet," Tally shrugged. "He's a civilian and a registered citizen of the Federated World Empire. There was nothing out of the ordinary in his file so he's been classified as a non-combatant and a zero priority risk." Tally frowned slightly. "Is that changing?"

"We'll see," replied Ootori, locking down her computer and getting up from behind her desk. "It all depends on what our prisoner has to say on the matter. Or doesn't say."

"I…see." Tally wrinkled her nose as Ootori brushed by her. Turning, she followed her superior out of the office and together they headed off.

_There are times that I really hate this job,_ Ootori thought as the two entered an elevator and hit the button to go down. _I could almost hate Yamaki for trusting me as much as he does._

They made it to their destination in short order. Upon entering the room, they took positions at the window situated at the front so as to get the best view that they could. On the other side was a dark room with only one light crowning the table standing in the center. Seated at the table was a balding man with a thick beard. His eyes were squinting at the harsh light above him and Ootori felt a slight chill run through her. She turned toward one of the two dark suit-wearing men standing on the opposite end of the window.

"He's been properly suppressed, hasn't he?"

"Yes, Ms. Ootori," one of them replied with a slight nod. "Standard procedure for bringing in a Heros."

Ootori hid the flash of irritation she felt at being told such an obvious fact. She had operated on the capture squad as well back when PlanPol had only just been implementing the Guardian Sphere project. She knew as well as anyone what the standard operating procedures were.

_Just as I know that there are some idiots who didn't do their job._ Ootori folded her arms beneath her breasts, deciding to bring her full attention to the matter at hand. Beside her, Tally withdrew a cell phone and dialed a number.

"We're here," she said to the other end. "You may begin."

In response, a door, just out of view opened and the bearded man was joined by another man wearing a dark suit. He had a cold, grim expression to his face as he approached the prisoner and sat down, setting a file down in front of him. Seeing it, the bearded man chuckled.

"You did your homework on me, I see."

"We pride ourselves on information," the suit nodded as he opened the folder. "Gorou Mizuno, age 42. You have quite a number of interesting aliases. Shibumi is the one you were most known for, prior to the end of the last Age…"

"Bronze had its allure," Gorou said with a wan smile. "Like you said though, we're in a different Age now, even if it hasn't been named yet."

"…and now you go by Tiresias," finished the agent.

"A bit appropriate, don't you think?" Gorou chuckled, his smile becoming stronger.

From behind the window, Ootori's eyes narrowed slightly. _Interesting…_

"Considering your power set, I believe so," agreed the agent with a slight nod. "You can see probabilities; the potential that others have. You've used it to predict the future." The agent leaned back and brought his fingers to rest against each other. "Your gifts would have been quite useful."

"To the wrong people," Gorou riposted.

"Is that how you see PlanPol?"

"It's how I see a lot of people—the Federated World Empire in particular—not just you." Gorou sighed and folded his arms together. "You're hardly the only group out there. I don't need to tell you what could happen if my powers fell into the hands of those 'wrong people'. The Dark Age could happen early." Now it was Gorou's turn to lean back, shrouding himself in shadow. "You never know."

The agent leaned forward and turned the page. "Which was why you opted to have your abilities suppressed and registered yourself to…make sure that you could remain suppressed?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"You then stopped taking your suppression and dropped off the radar. We only caught you because our Guardian Spheres recognized you. Nice trick though, entering the city without being detected."

"Thank you…"

"What are you here for?"

Gorou raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's just a simple question."

Gorou brought a hand on the table and drummed it slightly.

"Food…drink. Something good and warm that I haven't had in a while. I wanted to see what had happened in the world since I left."

"Are you satisfied?"

"Curiosity killed the cat," Gorou shrugged. "I may not be dead…yet…but I am most certainly caught." He smiled at the agent. "This will get out, and then everyone will be coming after me. It really was a stupid idea after all."

"Satisfaction brings them back though," the agent replied, closing the folder. "You have a gift that is useful. We can protect you, if you'll let us."

"Why do you say it like that?" Gorou asked, leaning back into the light. "Would you look the other way if I said no?"

"Without information, we can only protect you so much." The agent stood up, picked up the folder and tapped it against the table. "We're not accusing you of any crimes save for not taking your power suppressant. We can return you to the life you once had—your teaching position; your apartment… Your bank account has stayed open. Your funds have built up quite a bit since you disappeared. You have more than enough to live off of comfortably. Point us in the right direction and it can be yours without any hassle on our part." He tucked the folder beneath his arm. "I'll let you think about it. Until then."

The agent gave a respectful nod at Gorou and left the man alone in the room with his thoughts.

The room behind the window was silent as everyone took in the scene.

_Nothing gained, nothing learned,_ thought Ootori, watching Gorou as he sat beneath the light. He was staring at it again, seemingly uncaring that he was burning its image into his retina. The interrogation made her want to groan in exasperation.

"That didn't get us anywhere," noted Tally, massaging her forehead, unknowingly mirroring her superior's feelings.

Ootori pressed her lips into one thin line. She hated that line of thinking. There had to be something to go off of. It was impossible for them to not have anything.

The image of the child discovered at the park flashed through her mind, and she set her teeth against each other.

"This is just the opening move," replied Ootori finally, not taking her eyes off Gorou. _He's too calm and collected. _"He didn't come here to take in the sights and eat a good meal. He's been off the radar for ten years—a feat only possible because of his abilities." She turned to face Tally more fully. "He could have been in and out of this city without being noticed so much as once. I've read his dossier. We have a small paper trail on him stretching all across this country, and he's always been ten steps ahead of us. So why narrow the gap all at once?"

She turned her head to the other agents in the room. "We know he's had contact with one citizen for certain before being captured. A child by the name of Takato Matsuki. We're going to start there and work our way backwards. I want that child under surveillance and I want all information that we have on Gorou gone over with a fine-toothed comb—everything we've got on him. His movements; places he's visited; how often he brushes his teeth. Anything of significance. He's given us a crumb trail. For now we'll follow it."

With their orders given, the agents in the room filed out to begin their legwork. Riley turned her attention briefly to Gorou, finding that he was now staring at the mirror, a barely visible smile on his lips.

**…**

Takato shrugged back on his blue hoodie and turned to his shoes. He felt good, all things considered. Far better than he did before, and the knowledge that he was going to be getting out of the hospital with a clean bill of health went a long way toward improving that.

_The sooner I can get out of here, the sooner I can go find Guilmon,_ he thought, his mood dropping slightly. _I'm worried about the little guy. _

The question though was…could he do it?

There was a knock on his hospital door behind him, and Takato turned to see his parents standing in the doorway.

"Ready to go?" his father asked, a small smile on his face. Takato pulled on his shoes with a nod.

"You bet." Putting the finishing touches on his shoelaces he stood up and joined them. A few papers signed later and they were exiting the hospital.

_Fresh air at last. _Takato drank in the cool breeze that washed over him, grateful to be out of the hospital. "Okay," he began, hopping down the last step to the sidewalk. His heart skipped a beat at the mildly jarring impact. It almost seemed to confirm the sensation of freedom he felt now. "I'm going to go to the park…"

"You'll do no such thing, Takato," Mie interrupted.

"Huh-wha…?" That threw the boy for a loop. He spun around on his parents, eyes wide with disbelief. "But…but Mom. I told Kazu that I'd be meeting up with him and Kenta this afternoon! I _promised_ them!"

"I'm sure that they'll understand once you tell them what happened. You _just _got out of the hospital, Takato, and right now the park is the center of a crime scene. You shouldn't be running around there while PlanPol is doing their job."

"She's right, sport," Takehiro interceded as the two adults came to a stop next to him. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave it a sympathetic clap. "The park is going to be closed down, and like it or not, you need to rest so that you can make sure that there weren't any other problems that the doctor's might have missed. It wouldn't be a good idea to make things worse. And besides…you're going to have another friend you need to get acquainted with." Takehiro nodded to Mie and she drew forth a plastic bag. Rummaging around in it, she pulled out a small, cylindrical tube with a light situated at its top. Takato tilted his head to one side, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment before widening in recognition.

"That's…" Shock broke across his mind like a burst of white light, and for a moment he was speechless. "No way," he said after what felt like an eternity. "Just…no way. A _Companion?"_

Takehiro nodded as Mie, with a touch of shame on her face, placed the device back into the bag.

"We'll talk more when we get home."

**…**

Rika pushed her back away from the wall she was leaning on as soon as she spied her target exiting the hospital.

_Finally,_ she thought. _I was about to lose my mind waiting for something to happen._

Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed her contact's number and within short order they were connected.

_"What's up?"_

"He's out and about," Rika said succinctly. "Looks like he's okay."

_"He's going to be under observation though,"_ her contact said. _"His records state that he's been given a mark IV Artificial Intelligence Interface. A…"_

"…Companion," Rika finished, her breath escaping past her teeth with a sharp hiss. "Terrific."

_"It's standard procedure. We can work around it."_

"Let's hope so. I don't want to have to make a mess of things like I did last time." Rika scowled as she turned slightly, keeping her gaze on the boy as he turned and left with his parents. "He's on the move. I'm going to stay with him."

_"There's no need to,"_ replied her contact. _"I've got his address, so we can investigate later when we're ready to deal with the Companion."_

"I just want to scope out the terrain first," said Rika, rolling her eyes. "I don't want to have any surprises when…" Her cell phone buzzed and she let out a heavy sigh. "Hang on. I've got another call coming in."

_"Sure."_

Putting her contact on hold, Rika glanced at the caller ID and sighed again as she hit the answer button.

_She'd only get angry if I ignored her,_ she thought. "Hey Mom."

_"Rika!"_ exclaimed the excited voice of her mother on the other end. _"I just got home. You wouldn't _believe _the kind of day that I had…"_

_ I'm pretty sure I can believe it,_ Rika thought dully. "Yeah, okay Mom. Look, I've got a friend on the other end and…"

_"Where are you by the way?"_ the girl's mother interrupted, and Rika had to stop herself from grinding her teeth. _"I was hoping that we could hang out after I got home, but you weren't there when I went to look for you."_

"I'm just out. I needed to get some fresh air. I'll be home in a little while. Like I said, I've got a friend on the other end, and I can't leave him hanging for very long."

_"Rika…"_

"I'll see you later Mom," Rika said quickly. She switched callers, ending that conversation and returning to the previous one.

_"That was quick,"_ her contact said in a joking tone. _"She normally keeps you on for quite a while."_

Rika ran a hand through her hair and made an exasperated sigh. "I just…don't want to talk to her right now. This is more important."

Her contact made a sound of agreement, and Rika picked up where she left off.

"Anyway, I just want to get a lay of the land in case things go bad."

_"Do you think they will?"_

"I already know you think that they're going to have him watched. They know he was in the same place as Shibumi and that he did something to him. We're watching him too for that exact same reason."

_"And you don't think you're not being watched either?"_

Rika blinked in surprise. She hadn't thought of that. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder, suddenly certain that one of PlanPol's Guardian Spheres was watching her, already painting her with a blue scanning beam to determine whether she was a Heros or not, and if so, what kind of counter to use against her F.S. Field. She was powerful, but only as long as her F.S. Field remained unidentified.

_Last night was too close,_ she thought, feeling the ghosts of the laser attack she took yesterday. She had been lucky that the Guardian Sphere hadn't been able to make an accurate scan.

"All right," she conceded finally. "I won't follow him for now. Wish you had brought this up sooner…"

_"I thought you already guessed it,"_ her contact said apologetically. Rika cursed herself silently. She had, but only as long as she had been in the park. _"Anyway," _continued her contact,_ "I'm sure that they have you labeled as a low danger source, in spite of your mother…"_

"That's because she's _not_ a problem for them," Rika said angrily. "And you leave her out of this too!"

_"You don't need to worry. Anyway, I've got to get a Virus started for the Companion. We'll be able to operate more freely once it's ready, so until then…"_

"Keep a low profile. No problem." With that, Rika hung up her phone and pocketed it. Again she resisted the urge to look over her shoulder and start searching for any signs of pursuit. Instead she took a turn down a corner and headed back in the direction of the park. Although she was certain that much of it was under lockdown, she didn't intend to be stopped by it. She went her own way and refused to let anyone tell her otherwise.

_Of course, there's a difference between being independent and being stupid,_ she thought, remembering advice she had been given once upon a time.

It wasn't long before she came across the first piece of expansive green broken by a clump of brush that signaled the park's beginning. She hurried across the street, seeking to lose herself in the thick of vegetation. It grew increasingly dense as she plowed into it. She grinned. It never took long for the park to swallow whoever entered it. She was sure to lose whatever Guardian Spheres were following her—_if _there were any following her. She went deeper, casting her eyes up at the sky in search of possible pursuit.

_So far so good,_ she thought.

She wandered the park like that for the next thirty minutes; keeping an eye out around her until eventually she finished up at a bench. Sighing in slight frustration, she sat down on it and flipped open her cell phone, angling the screen just enough so that she could catch reflections of anything behind her. Once she would have laughed at herself in amusement for taking such a paranoid precaution. Now…

_Things are different,_ she thought bitterly. _I'm not the stupid little girl I used to be, thanks to Mom. If it weren't for her, I'd still have…_

Her thumb hesitated over the center navigation button on her phone, going with the train of thought. Before either thought or thumb could finish their journey, the sound of rustling brush behind her caused her to jerk back to reality, cell phone cover snapping shut. She was on her feet and spinning around, one hand closed into a tight fist while in her mind's eye, a blue light was just beginning to flair to life.

There was a loud bark, and then a silver-furred puppy dragging a long leash behind it came bounding into view. Rika stood there for a moment, dumbfounded before the animal's bark regained her attention.

"You scared the heck out of me, you dumb dog," she grumbled, placing one hand on her hip. She gave the critter a once over as it sat there, looking up at her with dark, sparkling eyes. Its tail set about wagging as its gaze met hers. Rika grimaced.

_ It doesn't look like it went through a good time,_ she thought, noting the long scar of singed fur in its side. It didn't appear to be inconveniencing the puppy in any manner, but… Rika sniffed the air, her scowl deepening. _This seems recent…_ "Come here you," she said, kneeling down, her curiosity finally overcoming her irritation. She snapped a finger, only for the puppy to sit itself down, eyes still locked on hers. Rika sighed.

"You're not going to make things easy, are you?" She lifted herself up slightly and took a step forward. She held her hand out for the animal to sniff, to which it did so eagerly, with little of the caution that most animals would have for strangers.

_I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing._

As if in response to her thoughts, the puppy nuzzled the girl's fingers, slipping into her palm and finally giving a light lick at the edge of her wrist. Rika gave a half grimace at the contact of the wet tongue, but grateful that she wasn't going to have her fingers nipped at, she moved closer and lifted the animal into her arms to get a closer look at the singed fur.

_Yeah,_ she thought, running a hand through the crusty, blackened hairs. _This is definitely recent. _She dug a bit further, and the puppy tensed as her fingers brushed against its skin. She didn't need to see anything to know that the area around it was red and burned.

"What kind of trouble did you get into?" she wondered aloud. "There's no tag or anything saying about who owns you, so…are you a stray?" An image flashed through her mind and she looked at the dog more fully. "Hold on… You belong to that kid from earlier. You tried to take Shibumi's leg off."

The puppy simply tilted its head at her, ears flopping ever so slightly around his face. Rika sighed and shook her head before placing the puppy back down on the ground. She kept a firm hold on its leash however, so that it wouldn't just take off, like it seemed to have done to its owner.

_I can't exactly bring you to your owner's home without causing some trouble for myself. What am I going to do with you?_

The puppy took a sniff at her jeans and then let loose an explosive sneeze. Rika couldn't help but laugh slightly—quite against her will—at the sight. Snorting at herself for the sentiment that she could feel building within her, she stood up, still holding the leash.

"You _had_ to be cute, didn't you?"

**…**

A/N: Another chapter down, and that makes three updates this week. Been a while since I last did that. Woot, and I say woot again. I hope that this streak stays alive for a while.

Until next chapter.

-Crazyeight

7


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 5

Upon reaching home, Teruo was upstairs and in his room at such a rapid pace that he felt sure that Henry would be insulted. He craned his head a little and glared at the wooden door behind him.

"Not my problem," he said finally, pushing away from the door and making his way over to the other end of the room, where his computer sat at attention. He hit the power button and while he waited for it to boot up he stepped over to the small cage sitting next to it. "Hey, Gerbil," he greeted, pulling out a small bag full of dark-brown pellets and scooping some out. Unlatching the cage, he spilled the nuggets into a light-colored bowl. A brown-furred rabbit sitting in the corner, fat and furry, stared up at him expressionlessly, nose and mouth working endlessly. As soon as Teruo withdrew and closed the cage, the long-eared critter hopped over to the bowl and began nibbling on its meal. Teruo smiled briefly at his pet before turning back to the computer. Sitting down he typed in his password and it quickly finished loading up his screen. Signing into his email he checked his messages, his light-green eyes lit up as he spied one and he instantly clicked on it.

_Teruo. Saw what you did today. Thought you were going to take it easy._

_ -Kitsune_

Teruo laughed and signed into his instant messenger, hoping with the feverish hope of the damned that his contact would be on. A smile broke upon his face as he was rewarded with their presence.

_Hi,"_ came the instant response from the owner of the name _Kitsune._

_Hi yourself,"_ Teruo wrote back. _"Did you like today's show?_

_ It was interesting,_ came the reply. _How are you not still in jail?_

Teruo laughed aloud, his fingers making their clacking sound on the keyboard as they typed.

_I'm what they call a special exemption. Not sure why, but it keeps me from having to be on the Pax. Because I'm so good with machines they don't even dare give me a Companion module to keep an eye me._

He hit the reply button, and within short order he received Kitsune's response.

_It was a rhetorical question._

Teruo grinned at that and simply shrugged. He just liked to hear himself talk—or in this case, write.

_I keep telling Henry that he needs to ask out that hot officer I told you about. This is the best way I can think of to get them in the same room long enough to even talk._

Teruo could almost hear the exasperated, yet amused sigh of his invisible contact on the other end.

_I am certain that there are other methods for consenting adults to meet up with each other, though I believe that they aren't the most…entertaining to someone like you._

If Teruo's grin hadn't already split his face in two by now, it was sure threatening to do so by now.

_Well, that goes without saying. Anyway, do you have the information that I asked you about?_

There was a brief hesitation in Kitsune's response.

_ I'm surprised. No code?_

_ None._ Teruo shook his head. _I'm pretty sure PlanPol would want me to look into this for them anyway._

_ Where does this confidence come from?_

Teruo tapped his cheek and typed out a response.

_The info?_ Teruo paused before adding one of their safe words to the message. _Black Lab needs to be brushed._

The chat box blinked again. There were no words in it this time; instead there was a document. Teruo smiled and clicked on it.

Doing so caused his computer to shut down immediately, leaving the young boy sitting there, flummoxed for a moment. His eyes narrowed dangerously as realization settled squarely on him.

"You cheeky bastard…" he murmured. He cracked his knuckles and got up. "Figures you'd have an additional layer of security, just in case I was PlanPol faking you. All right…where's my laptop?"

**…**

_You're an ass._

The green-haired boy wondered if Kitsune felt any amusement to his message upon the restoration of his computer. He believed that he did, as the mythos behind his online name indicated as much, but one could never be too sure.

_It doesn't hurt to be cautious,_ came Kitsune's reply. _You know how I am…and how dangerous PlanPol is. You're not the one who had to skip the country after all._

Teruo frowned as he typed back. _Yeah, yeah. I get it. Now no more tricks. I want to see this for myself._

_ Oh? All right then…_

With that, Kitsune promptly dropped off their Instant Messenger, leaving Teruo alone for the time being. Licking his lips, he reopened the document, a part of him waiting in paranoia on the chance that his friend left still another layer of security for him to hack through. Nothing new developed as a program screen came up, and he felt his heartbeat drop in its rhythm in relief.

_Looks like it's a video clip,_ he mused, leaning forward curiously. Sure enough, his thoughts were confirmed as his video player fired up and began buffering. Teruo entwined his hands and cracked his knuckles again in great anticipation. _PlanPol's been going to a lot of trouble keeping this from getting to the media. Whatever it is…it's big. Kitsune's been monitoring naval movements along the eastern coast. He says that the navy is gearing up for some kind of big encounter…one that hasn't been seen since the end of the Bronze Age._

He felt greatly excited by that knowledge. The _Bronze Age!_ The era that brought the end of the Dominion of Heroi and the end of the Great Conflict. Oh, for certain the Great Conflict wasn't over. Not by a long shot. Just as nations and empires took on different rulers, it merely took on a different name. What did it matter who fought the war, so long as someone was fighting it?

"C'mon… C'mon…" he whispered impatiently as the small circle on the screen spun, informing him of its progress… Or rather the lack of it in his modest opinion. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, the screen changed and began to show the image of an ocean, shrouded in mist. Teruo frowned. "That's it?" he muttered in puzzlement. _No…there's got to be something more._

There was. As he watched, a dark shape began to emerge, tall and tower-like. Teruo couldn't be certain due to the fog obscuring whatever lay behind it. He could have been looking at the Loch Ness Monster and he wouldn't know for certain.

Seconds ticked by like minutes, and as Teruo continued to watch, more of those dark shapes came into view. Some were smaller, some were taller, but they all shared the same, towering appearance. Much like…

_…buildings?_ Teruo tilted his head to one side, a suspicion suddenly forming in his mind. _Where is this?_ He reached for his mouse and scanned around the video screen, trying to see if there were any clues…some kind of land mark or a registering of longitude and latitude. Unfortunately, he found nothing that could help him.

_Piss…_ He grimaced. Leaning back in his chair, he went back to watching the film. Nothing new had occurred, though there was definitely movement from whoever—or whatever—was recording the scene. Teruo reasoned that it was one of PlanPol's orb drones.

_They're disposable enough for this sort of operation._

He shifted in his chair as he spied something new amidst the fog and its 'towers'. A new shape. He paused the video and rewound it, replaying it so as to confirm what he saw.

_Yeah… There's something there all right. Something's moving._

Whatever it was, apparently the recorder had picked up on it as well, because the image shifted through two different light spectrums to try and pick up on it. The object disappeared promptly, and Teruo felt his mouth dry up.

_Oh no… You have got to be kidding me. It…can't be that place… It disappeared along with the Bronze Age. Why is it…?_

He was interrupted from his thoughts as suddenly the camera perspective lurched violently, as though something had slammed into it. The last image that it transmitted was that of water flying toward it and then…static.

Teruo sat in his chair, mystified and stunned by what he saw. Worse yet, he felt…fear for what it might mean.

_I think this Age is going to be a Dark one…_

**…**

Rika opened the gate to her house and stepped inside, setting down the dog. It let out a bark and ran over to the small pond in her yard, yapping in excitement and snuffling around. Rika knotted her brow, not sure if she liked the animal's noise, knowing that it would attract the sort of attention that she didn't want it to attract.

_It's not like I can't hide it from her forever,_ she thought in resignation. _I brought it home after all. How can she _not _notice?_

She cringed hearing a loud, lapping sound, and spun around to find the puppy was drinking from the pond.

"Hey!" she snapped. "What are you doing? Get out of there!"

The puppy jerked away from the pond, tail tucked between his legs and ears folded back. It looked up at her with large, dark eyes, but the fire-haired girl refused to have her heart swayed.

"Here. Now." She snapped her fingers, pointing in front of her. The puppy, head drooped, slowly made its way over to her and plopped its rear down.

_At least it's good at obeying orders._

"Rika?" came the call that she expected. Sighing, she shook her head and turned in its direction.

"I'm out here, Mom," she called back.

The front door to her house opened and out stepped a youthful-looking woman with coppery hair—Rumiko Nonaka. Upon spying the younger girl, her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face.

"There you are. I was starting to worry about you. It's an awfully hot day for you to spend outside, and I just heard on the news that there was an incident in the park today. Didn't you say you were going to be there?"

"I did and I was," Rika replied bluntly, shoving her hands in her jeans' pockets. "PlanPol closed the place down and I figured I'd come back here." _Not that I want to be here,_ she thought, turning away from her mother and nodding toward the puppy still sitting in front of her, eyeing the newcomer curiously.

"Rika?" began Rumiko, pointing at the dog. "Is that…?"

"I found him in the park while I was leaving. I figured that with PlanPol clamping down on the place its owner isn't going to get much of a chance to go looking for him."

Rumiko furrowed her brow. "Well…at least that explains the barking that I heard." She came down the stone-work path toward her daughter, keeping a worried eye on the puppy. "He doesn't exactly look like he's been very well cared for…"

"He probably got caught up in the mess in the park," Rika replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I think I know who he belongs to, so I'm going to go looking around in a little bit. I just wanted to give him something to drink before we took off."

"That's very sweet of you Rika," Rumiko smiled, kneeling down before the dog, taking in its mussed and scarred fur with a pensive expression. "I just hope you don't get any ideas about owning a pet of your own. I'll allow it for today, but they do make quite a mess you know."

Rika narrowed her eyes and curled her fingers into her palms. "Couldn't be worse than some of the messes _some _people have already made."

Rumiko's head snapped up to her daughter, a hurt expression crossing her features. "Rika!"

"I'm going to get the critter a drink," Rika said, ignoring her. Patting the side of her jeans, indicating to the puppy that he was to follow her, she turned toward the house and headed off. He fell in line obediently, and bounded off after her, tongue hanging out of his mouth and tail up and wagging. Upon reaching the entrance, Rika disappeared inside, not bothering to look behind her. The puppy, for his part, paused only a moment to look at the older woman, who was watching them with a sad expression, before entering the house.

**…**

"Sometimes I don't get her," Rika said to the puppy as she pulled out a bowl from the kitchen cupboard and set it in the sink, flipping on the faucet as she did so. "When I was a kid she was always telling me about how important it was to take care of things. But when the chips were down…" She trailed off and after making a disgusted sound she shook her head. Crossing her arms she leaned back against the kitchen counter, listening to the sound of running water and finding a piece of calm in it. She glanced at the animal almost enviously. "I bet you don't have to worry about this sort of thing. Food… A bed… maybe someone to pet you… I bet that's all you ever have to worry about."

The puppy tilted his head to one side, panting heavily with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, heaving up and down like a pink, overly-thick, bungie cord.

"Why am I even talking to a dumb mutt?" Rika muttered to herself. Reaching behind her, she flipped off the faucet and snatched up the water bowl, placing it on the floor in front of the dog. The puppy immediately jumped at it and eagerly began lapping it up.

"I'll see about getting you something to eat later," she promised. She stood there for a moment, watching the animal as he drank, her mind already turning to his owner.

_I wonder what would be a good time to head down to his place and drop him off… _She knew the answer of course. It all depended on how long it took for PlanPol to see her as having no connection to the incident in the park, which could be anywhere from hours to days…even _months_ if they had sufficient reason to worry._ If they connected me to last night's break in…_

She shook her head. _No,_ she thought. _They have no evidence that it was me. And they'll want to keep it as off the radar as possible. The building's owner won't want to stir up a hornet's nest with PlanPol._

At least, that was what her contact had told her. Rika found it difficult to feel comforted by that. After all, PlanPol had its Guardian Orbs in it, and she destroyed some of them for certain before making off with critical information. There was no way that PlanPol was going to ignore that.

_Then again, they ignored my mom for all these years. _She frowned as a thought occurred to her. _Could they be ignoring her…ignoring _us…_on purpose? After what happened to Ran…?_

She was broken out of her thoughts by the sensation of the puppy pressing up against her leg. Looking down at him as he nuzzled her kneecap gently, wining softly, she bit her lower lip.

"You're _really _pressing your luck with that attitude of yours," she told him. The puppy simply responded by pressing harder. Sighing in defeat, Rika bent down and lifted him into her arms. "Jeez…I _really _need to get you back to your owner before you make me turn over to the dark side."

All the same though, she felt a small smile tug at the corners of her mouth. That almost surprised her, and she found herself wondering how long it had been since she felt like smiling.

As she took the puppy through the living room, she was reminded upon spying a photograph showing herself, her mother, and another girl, slightly older than herself with hair that bordered on blonde.

Her smile dropped almost immediately, and she tightened her hold on the puppy.

_I hope that your owner can help me out here,_ she thought, taking the stairs to her room.

**…**

Takato sat himself down on his bed and brought out the tubular Companion module that the hospital had given him.

_"You are required to activate it within twenty-four hours after receiving it,"_ he remembered his mother explaining to him after getting home. _"If you do not, the government is going to see you as a threat and arrest you."_

_ I'm a heros…_ Takato flopped back on the bed and raised the Companion above him. He turned it over, taking in every inch of it before bringing it to rest next to him. His empty hand soon replaced its presence in his vision.

_I always wanted to be a heros,_ he thought to himself. _I didn't think that this is how it would happen…me getting attacked and everything. All the old stories said that you needed to be involved in some kind of accident…get bitten by a radioactive bug or glowing rock, or something like that. Well…not exactly like that, but something weird has to be involved. Some people even say that you have to be near the Virtues in order to get powers. I was near them but…_

He furrowed his brow, remembering the man that attacked him. That made him worry about Guilmon again and he dropped his arm, folding it and its twin behind his head.

_My parents aren't going to let me out today. I'll have to go looking for him after they go to bed. They'll want me to activate my Companion soon, so I might not be able to get out of the house at all._

He grimaced, feeling anxious.

_At least Dad was nice enough to let me take my time with it. Mom wanted it on right away._

Craning his head, his eyes fell on the Companion module.

_It's supposed to be an AI unit. Maybe I can…negotiate with it or something._

It was that kind of thinking that he knew was the reason why Kazu and his parents thought of him as naïve. He knew it was his Achilles heel, and he would get into trouble because of it. He sighed despondently, knowing that he had about as much luck convincing a machine meant to keep him out of trouble to let him get into something that could be taken as trouble.

_What am I going to do?_

There was a knock at his door, and Takato bolted up, swallowing a yelp of surprise.

"I'm turning it on!" he called out before he even knew whether it was his mother or father at the door. _With my luck, it'll be my mom. _He _knew _it would be her. Nine times out of ten, it would be her. He fumbled for his Companion, his mind racing to remember how to activate it. _I'm supposed to just twist it, right? And then the light goes blue?_

"Easy there, sport," came the voice of his father, Takehiro, as he entered the room. Takato's eyes shot up, wide with surprise. "I'm not here to spy on you."

"Dad?"

The man gave him a sympathetic smile as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

"How're you holding up?"

"Um…" Takato scratched the back of his head, not in the least bit sure how to respond. "A bit…weirded out, I guess?"

Takehiro nodded, as if he had expected that. "I don't blame you," he said, wandering over and taking a seat next to his son. "This is quite the big change for you after all."

Takato fidgeted in his seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "This almost feels like you're about to talk to me about 'the birds and the bees'."

"I almost wish it were," Takehiro replied, trying to sound jovial and failing. "At least then all you would have to deal with is embarrassment and I could just feel like…" He hesitated, but Takato's mind was already leap frogging to what was going through his thoughts.

"…a normal parent?" He finished for his father. Takehiro rubbed his hands together, wincing a little.

"Believe it or not, it's not what I would wish. But…I'm going to be straight with you. I don't know how to help you with this." A pause. "Did I ever tell you about my brother?"

Takato shook his head. He knew his father had a brother thanks to pictures that he saw whenever he visited his grandparents' house, but of the man there had been nothing. After a certain age of what he guessed to be roughly eighteen, 'Uncle Daisuke' just seemed to disappear completely.

_"Daisuke Matsuki was a beta class Heros, fourth level,"_ piped up a feminine sounding voice. Both males blinked and looked down in the direction of the voice, to find that the 'eye' of Takato's Companion was now glowing with a blue light. Takehiro raised an eyebrow at it.

"You turned it on?"

Takato realized to his horror that he had indeed done so, during his fidgeting. Never in his life had he wanted so badly to kick himself for a dope.

_"I apologize for startling you. I didn't mean to interrupt, but I have finished my startup and scanning and would now like to introduce myself." _The blue eye flashed first at Takato and then at Takehiro before the Companion spoke again. _"Hello. It is nice to meet you two."_

"Hello yourself." Takehiro couldn't help but grin at the friendliness in the computer's tone. Takato, as much as he hated to admit it, also heard it and felt strangely better because of it. The thing was rather…human sounding. He could almost see the machine's smile. "I don't suppose you have a name?"

_"I am Companion Module 847826-31-d4137a. However, the owner can provide me with a name should he so desire." _The module paused, and its blue light winked, as if in thought. _"The name must comply with current censorship policies regarding language use."_

"PlanPol sure thinks of everything," Takehiro said, massaging his chin. "Just out of curiosity, how did you know about my brother?"

_"PlanPol maintains records on all Heroi entered into its system, active or deceased. Naturally your brother would be in the system. Knowing the name of my owner enables me access to any information that may be relevant so that I can assist him to the best of my ability."_

"I…see." Takehiro suddenly looked uncomfortable. He shook his head and got up. "I'd better leave you two to get acquainted then. I'll let your mother know that you turned on your Companion. Think of a name for her. She sounds like she would like that."

"Uh…okay." Takato watched his father leave the room with a raised eyebrow, unsettled at how quickly their talk had been shut down. "I wonder what that was all about," he mused as his bedroom door clicked shut.

_"Your father is sensitive to the subject regarding his brother."_ The Companion's eye winked in three short, rapid pulses of blue that gave Takato every impression that it felt uncomfortable for having brought it up. _"It would appear from his file that it didn't go over well."_

"He never talks about him so I guess…" Takato blinked as he remembered something. "Hold on… My uncle was a _heros?!"_

There followed three more, rapid pulses of blue in the Companion's eye.

_ "I'm sorry, but I cannot elaborate any further. The file has just been closed and I have been denied the right to discuss it with you. I'm sorry."_

Takato pressed his lips together, giving the flustered-sounding machine a sympathetic look. His uncle had been a heros. That was news enough for him. Leaning back, he raised the machine to eye level.

"Well…I guess you're going to be keeping an eye on me now. You said that I could give you a name, or you could have a name or whatever."

A blink of blue. _"Yes."_

"If you could…what would you call yourself?"

Two blinks of blue. _Confusion?_ Takato wondered. _Surprise?_

_ "I…haven't been on for very long, but I looked through a list of names provided on online sites for naming children."_ A rapid blink of blue. _"I'm partial to the name of 'Jeri'."_

Takato smiled. _I used to know a girl with that name,_ he thought. He liked that name.

"Hello…Jeri."

**…**

A/N: Sorry for the infrequent updates this week. It's been rather busy, between house sitting for a family friend and work I haven't had much luck with finding that quiet zone away from the world that I need to write. Tonight, in spite of some pretty nasty heat, that has changed.

Tonight's update doesn't really advance the plot much. Teruo and Rika hint at future events, but this is more of a character development piece. I'm sure there are all kinds of weird holes in here too, as the heat kept messing with my head, giving me a small approximation of a hangover. I'd like to get those holes filled in and smoothed out when I edit this story later, so if anyone can catch any it would be greatly appreciated. :)

Until next time.

-Crazyeight

8


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 6

The sun dipped towards the western horizon, giving the sky a golden tinge to it that signaled to the inhabitants of Shinjuku that the day was almost done. Atop one of its buildings overlooking the center of the city, air shimmered and shifted, taking on a humanoid shape. A long, brown duster coat materialized around the figure along with a long brimmed hat casting a shadow over a grizzled, stubble-ridden, masculine chin. A button-up, red-colored shirt appeared beneath the duster along with a pair of faded blue-jeans. Thin lips curved upward on a bronze face as he cast shadowed eyes over the city before him.

"It's good to be back," he said after taking a moment to enjoy the sight. Stepping forward, the ends of his duster swaying behind him, the air rippled and once again he vanished from sight.

**…**

Takato slapped the back of his head as he felt a sharp tingle crawl across skin.

"What the…?" he began, the tingle disappearing almost as soon as it began. Removing his hand, he stared at it dumbly, as though it could tell him something about what he just felt.

_"Is everything all right?"_ asked Jeri, electric blue eye quickly running a scan over the boy.

"Um…" Takato shook his hand. "Yeah. Just felt a weird…something, I guess. Like when I shock myself after rubbing my feet on a carpet." He looked at Jeri, a bit worried. "What about you? Aren't machines vulnerable to…?"

_"I was designed to be resistant to electrical discharges. Hmmm…"_

Takato raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound good."

_"I'm detecting a minor fluctuation in your Bioelectric field."_

"Okay, that sounds bad."

_"You don't need to be worried about it,"_ eased Jeri._ "Your body may be reacting to an electromagnetic disturbance—possibly from a storm or from communication technology. Due to your recent transformation your cells are establishing an F.S. Field and will be sensitive to outside disturbances."_

Takato raised a confused eyebrow. "Um…I thought I was being…you know…suppressed."

_"Cells start to establish the F.S. Field as soon as they are triggered to do so. The Paxia that you took at the hospital is only capable of slowing its formation until you are given a proper prescription. Even then, the F.S. Generators remain and can either produce minute traces of the field, or become resistant enough to create it even when Paxia is present within your system."_ Jeri's eye flashed blue for a moment. _"I'm going to have to report this to PlanPol just to be on the safe side."_

Takato nodded reluctantly, feeling a bit strange for doing so, but with how Jeri—_the Companion—_sounding apologetic for doing her—_its—_job… Takato sighed.

_So this is what it's like to be a heros,_ he thought miserably. _It sure isn't like they tell it in the old stories…_

**…**

Riley tapped one finger on her desk as she listened to the agent in front of her finish giving his report.

"…and with the trip he made to the Museum of National History and the Meta Foundation, that's all that we know for the moment about Gorou's movements."

"Thank you, Agent Iwamoto," Riley said, bringing her finger to a stop. Turning in her chair so that she was facing him more fully, she leaned forward. "Anything more on the Matsuki case?"

"Nothing substantial," the agent replied with a shake of his head. "His Companion recently registered a fluctuation in his bioelectric field, but nothing beyond what is to be expected for someone in the Alpha class, level one growth stage. Minor variations and tweaks are to be expected."

"Look into it anyway, just to be sure. Have our computers do an analysis of the area around him. See if there are any abnormalities that may be triggering his F.S. Field's development." She ran a hand over her mouth. "Is Gorou volunteering any more information about why he's here?"

"No ma'am," Iwamoto replied. "He's become rather quiet now. Refuses to say anything."

Riley resisted the urge to grimace, and instead simply nodded. "All right. We'll let him stay silent for a while then. We have enough time to play with. We'll just have to see if he does."

"Yes, ma'am."

With nothing more to be said, Riley bid Iwamoto to leave and she turned in her chair to look out the window. She threaded her fingers together thoughtfully.

_I'm starting to think that the kid is a dead end,_ she mused. _In which case in a few days it will be fine to deactivate the tracking chip we had the hospital inject him with._ With no one to see her now, she allowed a grimace to cross her face. _I almost wish that Matsuki _did_ have something to do with Gorou. At least that would justify the expense that we took to tag him with more than just a Companion._

Still, in spite of her selfish wish, she much rather preferred that the Matsuki youth wasn't involved. She didn't know how to face herself in the mirror whenever a child became a potential danger to society as so many heroi tended to.

The phone on her desk rang and she picked it up.

"Ootori," she greeted tersely.

_"Your appointment from Meta Foundation has arrived,"_ replied the voice of Tally from the other end.

_It's about time._

"All right, send him up," she replied. "Ensure that there are two agents to escort him to my office."

_"Yes ma'am."_

Riley hung up and threaded her fingers through each other again. Leaning her face into them, she furrowed her brow in deep thought.

_Gorou may not be talking, but that doesn't mean that he isn't giving us information._

**…**

The door to Riley's office opened and in walked a tall man with a long, thin, stone-like face and long, dark hair flanked by two PlanPol agents. The man wasn't bland looking by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it was the disturbing emptiness in his eyes that left Riley with the feeling that she was looking at him as though she were at an open-casket funeral.

It was then that, upon spying her, a smile—strangely warm and not in the least bit condescending—broke across his face and the illusion was dispelled.

"Hello Ms. Ootori," the man said in a strong, friendly tone as he stretched out a hand in greeting. Getting up, Riley stretched out her hand and accepted the gesture before indicating the chairs in front of her desk.

"Thank you for arriving on such short notice Mr. Owikawa. Please, take a seat."

"If you insist," Owikawa chuckled, glancing at the pair of agents behind him. "I must admit that I don't normally meet with government officials of your standing…or any government officials for that matter." He leaned back in his chair casually and folded his hands together in his lap. "But when PlanPol calls, there is no choice but to answer."

"We don't like to project the idea that you have no choice, Mr. Owikawa, so please do not misunderstand our mission or your reason for being here. For myself, I simply prefer to talk to people in person. I feel that something is lost in the conversation when people talk via tele-com."

"I'll indulge your preference," Owikawa nodded in understanding.

"Good." Riley got up from her chair and made her way around the desk, where she leaned back against it, arms folded beneath her breasts. In spite of her lax posture, she might as well have been a tower to Owikawa. "Because I want to know what it is the Meta Foundation is researching."

Owikawa blinked, his smile faltering. "I beg your pardon?"

Reaching behind her, Riley turned her desktop around to face the man.

"This morning at around 1:30 your offices were broken into and an unidentified heros made off with one of your hard drives. One of our Guardian Spheres was destroyed by this individual."

"I'm well aware of the break in, Ms. Ootori," Owikawa replied, trying to compose himself. "But I don't understand how it involves PlanPol beyond the loss of one of your spheres. Our research has always involved the heroi, and there are other countries and rogue groups that oppose…"

"I'm well aware of the political scene, Mr. Owikawa. The point of the matter is…you tried to cover it up. Oh, not you specifically so you have plausible deniability there. One of your subordinates made the report. The problem I have is that it was reported as a simple 'burglary' in the first place." Riley glanced at her computer and sniffed disapprovingly. "Technically accurate, but the thief was very specific in their choice of target, means of entry, and how to avoid security. They knew what to look for and their only snag was the extra layer of security laid down." She returned her attention to Owikawa. "How about that?"

"Ms. Ootori…" Owikawa began as he started to stand up, but Riley beat him to the punch.

_"Sit…_down, Mr. Owikawa," she said, nodding to the two agents behind the man. Both clamped hands on his shoulders and with gentle pressure eased him back into his seat. Owikawa glared at the both of them before turning an icy stare at Riley. Owikawa cleared his throat.

"Ms. Ootori… Clearly there's been some sort of mistake here."

"I'm sure there was." Riley turned away and moved back behind her desk, running one hand along its edge as she went. "I know you and your employees are used to dealing with terrorists and corporate espionage and the like. Maybe one of yours thought that it wasn't a big deal. It's easy for someone down the ladder to see intrigue as its own little game—its own _world—_and not think that there's anyone else watching." Riley sat back down and gave Owikawa an award winning—if false—smile and she folded her hands neatly on her desk. "Fortunately you don't have that lack of foresight. You didn't make it to where you are now without it after all, and that's what separates the winners from your…_other _players. Kindly remind your fellows that there are other eyes out there and that PlanPol _is_ one of them. After all…it's for your protection."

Owikawa shifted uncomfortably in his seat before the ghost of his earlier smile returned. Just a ghost to be sure, but to Riley it let her know that she had his attention.

"Of course…" Owikawa replied in a bit of a shaky voice. "I promise you, you will have our full cooperation in the matter."

"I would expect no less from a public servant." Riley paused and tilted her head to one side. "Even though it's been a while since you held that title."

Owikawa stood up and adjusted his suit. Riley let him. "Ms. Ootori," he began gravely. "Believe me, in service or not, I take my duty to the public _very _seriously."

Riley nodded and leaned back, smiling again. "In which case I look forward to your continued cooperation."

**…**

Owikawa stepped outside the PlanPol government building and glanced up at its upper floors, in the direction of Riley's office. He furrowed his brow slightly, adjusting his tie before heading off. Pulling out his cell phone he hit the call button.

_"Hello," _came the greeting from the other end.

"Lock down the files Kurata," Owikawa said in a calm voice, trying to sound casual. "Lock them down and implement the thirteenth protocol."

_"I beg your pardon?"_

"Just what I said. Lock down the files and implement the thirteenth protocol. You know…the one where you get them ready for inspection?" Owikawa chuckled. "I hate to think that my best researcher and developer would forget something so simple as that."

_"I didn't pay close attention to the employee rulebook Mr. Owikawa,"_ came Kurata's rather amused response. _"But I'll have everything ready…as soon as I find someone who knows the protocol better than I do at the moment and can explain it to me."_

"Very good," Owikawa grinned. "I look forward to a stunning report when this is over. I know PlanPol is as well."

There was a pause on the other line and Owikawa knew Kurata was digesting this news. _No doubt once he realizes the gravity of the situation it will spur him into action._

_ "All right,"_ Kurata said finally, keeping up a brave front. _"I guess that rules out my intern for information. I'll have to go bother anyone and everyone I can in that case. I'll have things ready for you by the time you get back."_

"I know you will." With that, Owikawa hung up. He chuckled quietly to himself as he pocketed his phone._ How nice of PlanPol to give us a heads up on their investigation…_

**…**

"I could hate being right so often," Riley said as she stood next to Tally. The other woman was presently cracking her knuckles with a prideful smirk on her face.

"What's there to hate?" Tally asked, looking up at her superior with a quizzical expression. "You set things up and got the ball rolling. We know Meta Foundation is up to something."

"We have no proof except for the man that stood still long enough in front of the company for us to get a hold of his location. If it weren't for that…" Riley let the sentence drift off and she pressed a hand against her forehead. "With his power, Mr. Mizuno never does anything without a reason. At least, that's what his psyche profile and history indicates."

_And it's the only reason why we're still keeping an eye on that kid,_ Riley thought with a twinge.

"What reason do you think he had for stopping in front of the Meta Foundation building?" asked Tally.

"I'm sure we'll find that out in due time." She sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, we still need that court order to do any further investigations on them. This was supposed to have been just a local law enforcement issue, but since Mr. Mizuno's path crossed with theirs we have to look into it."

Tally made a face. "We can slap on a tracker to some kid because he's developing powers without one, but we have to jump through hoops to look into possible illegal activity. There's no justice in the world is there?"

"Justice died out at the end of Bronze," Riley replied grimly. "Maybe even before that."

"You're such a pessimist." Tally looked at her superior with a sympathetic smile. "My grandfather tells me stories about the Bronze. He says that there were still heroes then."

"I suppose so if one expands their definition of 'hero'." Riley held up a silencing hand to the employee. "Don't start. I'm going back to my office and get a hold of the court offices at the Tower of Justice." She grimaced. How ironic considering the topic of conversation. "Keep me posted."

"Will do boss."

**…**

At the corner of the Museum of National History, not far from where the Meta Foundation office building is located, air warped and from it emerged the duster-wearing figure, thin lips curving upward as he smiled. Pushing back his brimmed hat just enough to get a better look, but not enough to cause the shadows shrouding his face to retreat, he took in the people that went back and forth along the steps of the building. After a moment of consideration he pushed the hat downward, completely concealing his face before bringing it back up. Gone was the stubble and the shadows that covered it, replaced by a youthful looking, wide-eyed face with smooth, if slightly messy dark-brown hair. Grabbing the ends of his duster, he pulled it off and dropped it to the ground, where it promptly vanished. Reaching up, he adjusted his collar. Stains and the signs of age that dotted his clothes smoothed out and steadily disappeared. Looking down at himself, the now young man nodded and walked out from around the corner and began to take the stairs.

The museum was cool when he entered. The air came as immediate relief when compared to the oppressive heat from outside.

_The heat of summer… I forgot what that was like,_ he thought to himself, making his way down the main entrance and taking a look around for anything of interest. Nothing immediately stood out to him, but he sauntered forward, feeling that if he looked around something would grab his attention. He knew that something would.

_I've missed out on a lot after all. A lot of history to catch up on. How long has it been? Feels like it's been Ages._

He took his time looking through the museum. Some of it fascinated him and others…less so. The room was divided into various periods of history; not exactly novel in his opinion.

_This is kid's stuff,_ he thought, making a turn into a section devoted to a different historical period. _It's all about things that I already know. I could have gone to a public library and learned more than I am here._

Still, he had to admit that it was all quite nostalgic. He passed by a photo and paused just long enough to smile at the person pictured on it—a young man with long, bushy hair sticking out in all directions.

_You never did cut that hair of yours, Tai. Right up until the end._

He was about to move on when something beneath the photo finally did catch his attention. His eyes widening for a moment, he moved in for a closer look.

"Look at you…" he whispered, pressing a hand against the glass. Beneath it, barred from his touch, was a small, fist-sized, pale egg.

_I didn't think one of you could still be around. Not after all the trouble that you kept giving the world the last time I walked the world._ His expression became firm and he curled his fingers into a tight fist. _Can't have you sitting there…_

His fist thrust forward and glass exploded inward. He grabbed the egg just as the alarm began to ring.

6


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 7

For as long as he remembered, the roof outside of his bedroom had been a place of solitude and comfort. A small spot in front of his window sandwiched between two sections pointed upward, cupping his solitary like the classic image of a castle's towers would with its walls…or at least it looked that way in Takato's imagination. For everyone else it was just like any other rooftop in the cramped neighborhood, but Takato had a way of seeing past what something was and what it could be…what he wanted it to be. The light blue house that he always saw outside his window when he woke up in the morning, half-blocked by a tree that grew on his side of the fence? It was the sky that he didn't see until he was either on the roof itself or downstairs. The tree? A mountain or a twisting, alien fortress. Or, as he envisioned it in his younger years, a fireman's pole.

_ "A fireman's pole?" _asked Jeri to Takato as he finished explaining that to his artificial Companion. The young boy couldn't help but chuckle a little at the computer. It sounded like it—she. He wanted to think of the machine as a person—didn't believe him.

"Sure," Takato grinned. Adjusting his grip on the Companion's chain he trained her electric eye on the tree. "See? If you grabbed the trunk instead of a branch right around…there," he pointed to illustrate his point, "you could slide down. With the house so close you could use it to brace yourself in case you ever slipped. It used to happen to me a lot when I was a little kid, but I got pretty good at it."

_ "I…see." _The machine winked once. It—she he reminded himself—still didn't sound like she believed him.

_ Well, that's okay I guess. It's not like all of my friends have to believe everything I say. Kazu and Kenta don't believe everything I say anyway._

A part of him felt odd telling Jeri so much about himself. It was understandable. One of his friends, Kazu, would have described it as like trying to talk to a television set. For the longest time, machines were impersonal and devoid of life, or at least they were in recent human memory.

_ There used to be a time when they walked among us like anyone else, _Takato thought to himself, remembering his history._ But that was a long time ago, before even the Golden Age I think._

_ "_So what do you think the tree is?" Takato asked Jeri, leaning back on the rooftop. The Companion's electric eye blinked.

_ "It's not so much as what I think as it is what I know. Its outer layer is made up of bark, which is composed of dead cells, and…"_

"I know that," laughed Takato, tossing his head. "But if you could imagine it as something else, what would you like it to be?"

_ "I'm afraid I don't have the programming for that kind of abstract thought," _admitted Jeri. _"Remember, my sole function is to monitor you and maintain a constant vigil on your F.S. Field's functional levels. My ability to communicate with you is due to application software meant to make my presence more comfortable to you, but I have only the basics."_

Takato pressed his lips together, not sure what to make of that. "So…what? Do I have to buy another app for you?"

_ "PlanPol and my designer, the Meta Foundation, do not provide that sort of software for Companions except for heroi that have been on good behavior for a certain amount of time. I could be more human-like, but only if you are shown to be trustworthy of it. Some Companions, when enhanced, become…biased."_

"Huh?" Takato raised an eyebrow at that, surprised. "I never heard of anything like that."

_ "Artificial Intelligence programs are not fully available in all areas to the public. Those that are, are given limitations to provide smooth functioning. This is largely dependent on the function being provided. There is a difference between a monorail AI, who operates transportation of large groups of people, and someone like me, who must interact with you on a one-on-one basis."_

"I see…" Takato replied, not really understanding at all. It didn't seem right that a machine made to sound so human was being kept from having an imagination. At least, that's what it sounded like to him._ My history textbook says the old Golems didn't have that kind of problem. I wonder why that changed. It's not like they were said to be bad like people say heroi are nowadays. _Takato's fingers curled into his palm slightly at that thought._ Like I am…_

"I want to change that…" he said.

_ "Change what?" _asked Jeri. Takato blinked. He hadn't realized that he had said that out loud. Blushing slightly, he shook his head fiercely.

"Nothing. I'm just…thinking." He allowed a moment of silence to pass before speaking again. "Hey…Jeri? If I left the house right now…would you call PlanPol or my parents?"

_ "You are supposed to ask your parents first before leaving the area, if I'm not mistaken. As for PlanPol, I keep a log of your movements. As long as you don't do anything disruptive, I file them at twenty-four hour intervals where they'll be stored for ten years. Your movements are not restricted by PlanPol if that is what you're worried about."_

Takato raised a curious eyebrow. "That's…kind of weird of them."

_ "Movement does not necessarily mean you have damaging intentions. PlanPol does believe that its citizens are able to exercise appropriate judgment. It's just that due to their nature heroi require monitoring."_

"Oh." Takato furrowed his brow, but nodded, guessing that he understood. "Um…Jeri? Back when I was in the park today, I was…uh…walking someone's dog and I…lost it because he got scared. I'd…I'd like to go looking for him."

_ "If you could give me the dog's description I could inform PlanPol and have them keep an eye out for it."_

"No!" Takato said a little too fiercely. "Sorry. It's just…he's kind of my responsibility. He's…" Takato swallowed anxiously, realizing that he was going to have to come clean in the end. "He's a stray. I don't know who used to own him, so I've…made him my responsibility."

_ "…I see," _Jeri replied._ "You haven't told your parents about him, have you?"_

"Well…no." Takato traced a finger on the roof. "They think I can't take care of a pet. They never trust me with anything."

Jeri was silent for a moment, her electric eye blinking blue in quick succession as her artificial mind thought things through.

_"While I feel that it would be better to talk to your family about this, I suppose that it would be all right to…"_

"Takato!" came the loud shout of his mother from inside the house. The young boy jumped, startled, and even Jeri buzzed slightly in surprise.

"Oh crap!" Takato whispered, rushing back to the window. "If Mom catches me out on the roof she's going to go thermo-nuclear!"

_"You tend to do things that your parents wouldn't approve of, do you?"_

"Takato!" came the call of his mother again. Takato swore as his shirt found itself getting snagged on the window frame as he struggled to squeeze himself back inside.

"Coming!" he called out furtively, hoping that alone would be enough to keep her from stepping inside and catching him in the act. Turning down to Jeri he glowered. "It's not like I don't know what I'm doing half the time you kno…_owww!"_

Takato's eyes bulged as something that he could only describe as _electrical_ ripped through his body. It started in his head and raced the length of his spine. There was a loud ripping noise as his legs unexpected propelled him into the room…and straight into the wall. Pain exploded across his vision in the form of sparkling stars, and in the next moment he dizzily found himself on the floor. The door to his bedroom burst open and he turned to see his mother come rushing in, eyes wild with concern and fear. Upon spying him she immediately went to his side and tried to help her son up.

"Takato… What happened? Are you all right? I come upstairs to let you know that it's time to take your bath and the next thing I know it sounds like you're trying to break through the walls!"

"Um…" Takato shook his head, clearing the last of the stars from his vision. _What the heck just happened?_ his mind thought blearily. However, the more immediate concern of his mother dominated his thoughts. "Sorry. I just…uh…tripped?" he quickly answered.

It didn't sound convincing. At least not to him, but for a wonder his mother bought it.

"Honestly Takato," she frowned, wiping a hand across a red lump that was rapidly starting to form on his forehead. "You really need to keep an eye on where you're going. One of these days you're going to trip and break your fool neck." Her hand drifted down to the boy's T-shirt, scowling at the tattered hole she saw. "Leave this on the doorknob so I can fix it later. Lord knows how we can afford your clothes at the rate you go through them."

"Uh…sure thing. I'll be more careful next time."

Mei turned to leave the room, but she wasn't quite done yet. "Yet I _know_ that I'm going to have to tell you again. Really Takato, you don't listen."

"Hey! You surprised me and…!"

"Into the tub," Mei urged, pushing her son toward the door. "Your father would like to use it after you're done, so don't take too long. Dinner should be ready after he's finished, and I'd rather that my two men be clean for it. Now come on. I'll get you a pack of ice for your head, but I want you in that tub first."

Takato sighed and rolled his eyes, opting to not argue with her and go with the flow. It seemed as though the universe was conspiring to keep him from doing the things he felt he _needed_ to do.

_Guilmon's out there, alone and probably scared out of his mind. And I haven't been able to get out there and go looking for him!_ Takato cursed himself for his helplessness in the face of his parents. For now though he had no choice but to keep any suspicion down by maintaining appearances.

As he made his way down the hall, he rubbed his forehead where his bump was presently swelling up.

_Just what the heck happened back there?_ Takato wondered again.

By his side, swinging from the chain attached to his wrist, Jeri's electric eye was flashing even more rapidly than before, a curl of electricity playing across her surface.

**…**

Looking up from the book she was engrossed in, Rika noted the quiet of the household…primarily the absence of her mother since their brief talk upon her arrival home. She found herself both at once pleased with the quiet, but also slightly nervous about it. She herself always preferred silence over talking to her mother, but silence with an adult in the house—particularly one that liked to talk about every nonsensical thing in the universe—always reminded her of stories she heard about the fear of the silent jungle. Was there a predator about to strike? Or was it something else she should be concerned about?

Looking to one side, she saw the dog lounging about on a blanket she had thrown down for it. Seeing that she was now watching him, the puppy rolled over on its side, showing off its belly and…

Rika grimaced at the sight. "Okay. You're officially a guy. Now quit showing off. I don't want to see that."

The puppy's tongue rolled out of his mouth lazily before he fell back over to his side, whereupon he gave a heavy sigh.

"Yeah," Rika said, nodding her head. "Life is _so_ rough for you isn't it?" Rika turned a page and returned her attention to the book. "Don't worry. I'll get you back to your owner as soon as I can."

_"When will that be?"_ she could almost hear her mother saying. Rika groaned and closed her eyes in annoyance.

_Even when she's not in my space she still bugs me…_

Still, it was a good question. She did say that she was only keeping the animal in the house for a short while before taking off to look for his owner, and here she was relaxing while the puppy shed its fur all over the place. Rika was already fairly confident she could lose any pursuing Guardian Spheres, so why hadn't she left yet?

_Mom deserves to be annoyed a little bit,_ she decided after a moment. _A dumb dog that she doesn't approve of? It's the _least _of what she deserves. _

The sound of her cell phone buzzing caught her attention, as well as the puppies. His ears perked up along with his head, eyes bright and attentive. He made a small wine as Rika dug the phone out of her pants pocket.

"Take it easy," she said to the animal, checking the caller ID. Recognizing it as belonging to her contact, she hit the reply button. "Hello."

_"The skies are clear now,"_ came her contact's voice on the other end. _"If you're going to make contact, now is as good a time as any."_

Rika raised an elegant eyebrow, sensing a strange sense of urgency coming from the other end.

"Just when I was starting to like the mutt," she said, closing her book and getting to her feet. "So what's up?"

Her contact chuckled forcefully. _"You could tell?"_

Rika went over to her window and pushed it open, checking the skies. She frowned slightly, expanding her senses outward. She saw and detected nothing. _Not that it means anything. Guardian's can hide themselves as well as me._

Rika pulled back into the house. "Even though you're confident enough to be calling me on my cell phone, you're sounding nervous. Something else is going on, isn't there?"

_"PlanPol has recalled all its Guardians to the National Museum. By the report I'm getting, an unidentified heros is rampaging down there."_

Rika raised an eyebrow again. "A heros?" She turned and eyed a duffle bag hidden beneath her bed. "You don't say."

A grin crossed her features and she placed the talking end of her phone against her shoulder. "Hey pup. Do you want to go for a walk?"

The thumping of the puppies tail on the floor was all the answer she needed.

**…**

The young man pushed his hat back as he took in the swarm of black spheres he found in front of him upon exiting the museum. The expression on his face was one of mild amusement and confidence. To him, the spheres might as well have been a quaint curiosity; nothing to be taken seriously.

"I take it that you're the law in this town?" he asked casually, waving at the closest sphere.

_"Citizen,"_ one of the orbs boomed—which one it was the man couldn't tell for sure. _"Raise your hands and surrender yourself to PlanPol and the Federated World Empire. You will be taken into custody. Anything you say and can do will be held against you in a court of law."_

"Eh." The young man waved a dismissive hand. "I'm not a citizen of your 'Empire'. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be removing this," he adjusted his grip on the egg he held indicatively, "from your possession. Trust me. We'll _all_ be a lot better off without it."

_"Put the egg on the ground and surrender yourself,"_ boomed one of the spheres again. _"If you do not, you will be treated as a hostile…"_

"Yeah, let's skip straight to where we already know this is going." The youth swung his free hand in a straight line, sending a shimmering stream of warping air in front of him. The orbs all fired as one, their lasers quickly dashing across the space between them and their target, where they slammed into the oncoming shimmering warp. The youth smiled and swung his arm back the other way. The shimmer twisted, causing the lasers to disappear only to reappear a second later, this time spat back at their owners. Orbs exploded in a series of fire and shrapnel, but not a piece of it touched the youth. Instead it fell upon the shimmer, and with a gesture it twisted once more, depositing the shattered remains of PlanPol's response force safely onto the ground.

"Well," the youth began, surveying the destruction with a disappointed look. "That was quick."

The sound of mechanical wine caught his attention, and he turned just in time to see a dozen of the damaged orbs rising back into the air, broken shells and wires pulling themselves back together. A grin broke across the youth's face.

"Restructuring. Very nice. But how perfect is it?"

Thrusting a hand out in front of him, he focused on the closest orb. The air surrounding it began to warp and glow before a shining disk of energy sprouted from its center. One half of the orb jerked backward while the other remained exactly where it was. A half-second later both collapsed to the ground with a heavy clang, neither rising back up as it had before as one.

"Huh," the youth noted. "That's interesting. I guess you can only fix yourselves as long as you're not too badly damaged. Nice to know that not _all_ the rules are broken here." Still grinning, he swung his head back over in the direction of the other orbs. They were still cracked in places, wobbling uncertainly as well, and some of them had wires hanging out of what passed for their guts. Nonetheless they appeared to be functional enough to do their job. Two of them fired quick, short rounds at the youth, who simply raised up a cloak of shimmering air to intercept them. The lasers were caught in the cloak, which twisted once again and sent the bolts flying back at their senders. The lasers connected, sending sparks flying off their bodies as they sheered through their armor to reach the important mechanical organs within. The eyes of the remaining orbs that did not fire flickered back and forth between red and blue before turning on him.

_"F.S. Field analysis complete. Preparing countermeasures."_

The youth's eyes widened slightly at that.

_What?_

The next blast cut straight through the youth's cloak and drilled a hole through his free hand and chest. The youth reeled in surprise at this unexpected occurrence and collapsed to one knee, the hand holding the egg attempting to grab hold of his injury reflexively. The smell of burnt flesh and clothing reached his nostrils, and he felt the urge to empty the contents of his stomach at it.

_I smell like chicken,_ he thought deliriously. In spite of his disgust, he couldn't help but chuckle at the observation.

"You're…smarter than I thought you were," he rasped, raising his damaged hand. "But I'm not out of tricks just yet."

The shimmering cloak wrapped itself around his arm and chest and within moments a blast of light shot outward, incinerating one orb and narrowly missing the others.

_Still not done yet,_ he thought, pulling his fingers into a tight fist. The light compressed and a heavy fog suddenly began to emerge from it. As the youth watched, the spheres began to wobble uncontrollably as they found themselves unexpectedly being _dragged_ toward the light.

_"Detecting atomic manipulation in the atmosphere,"_ squawked one of the orbs. _"Preparing countermea—" _

The Guardian Sphere was cut off as a massive explosion erupted from its surface, showering its companions with more shrapnel and fire. Three more followed suit, erupting clockwise one after the other. Standing up, the youth breathed heavily and flexed his free hand, glancing down at it. The hole that had been there courtesy from a guardian laser was now gone, and the skin showed no sign that it had been damaged in the first place. He checked his chest and nodded as the other injury showed itself to be absent as well. Having satisfied his inspection he nodded to himself.

"Any other takers?" he asked, returning his attention to the battlefield. Waving a hand, his arm glowed slightly and a gust of wind blew away the smoke. Only a broken pile of Guardian Spheres greeted him. "If that's all, then I'll be taking off now."

"You are not going anywhere," spoke up a voice from the steps of the museum. Turning toward its owner, he found himself looking at an old, kindly-looking man wearing glasses. The youth tilted his head to one side, taking him in.

"Smashing machines is one thing old man, but I'd hate to have to hurt you over this." He hefted the egg.

"That…is an important piece of history you are holding there," the old man said, stepping down the stairs in the youth's direction.

"I know. I hope 'history' is all this thing is. These things…back in my time they could play dead. Make you think that they were done and gone. That's the only reason why I haven't destroyed it yet. I'm a fan of history. So, if you'll just let me go, I can go get it looked at and…"

"You are not leaving," the old man said, reaching the bottom of the stairs. "I will not let you."

As the youth watched, the old man's body glowed and flesh was replaced by metal plating and a large, red eye imbedded on a stalk rising from where the man's head had been. Energy gathered at the tips of the machine's mechanical fingers as it got into a crouch and took aim.

_"F.S. Field Analysis downloaded," _it intoned._ "Hall Monitor Unit 2348756b preparing to combat target. Countermeasures prepared."_

"Another robot," the youth said with disgust. "This city is crawling with them."

The air shimmered around his hand as he tightened his grip on the egg. The shell cracked and shattered, and a small, three-headed reptile connected to an oozing yellow yolk fell out before dissolving into nothingness.

The robot launched itself at the youth just as he dove to the side, surrounding himself with the cloak once more. Rolling to his feet he wrapped the shimmering light around his fists, taking aim. Before he could do anything though, a shadow suddenly fell over the robot. A split second later its owner smashed into it like a meteor, sending mechanical limbs and shards flying in every direction. The youth raised his hands to shield himself from the metal, impressed at the speed at which the machine had been destroyed.

"So," he began with a wry chuckle. "Do I have to fight you too?"

A slim figure stepped out of the wreckage of the robot, and the youth saw that it was what had to be a young girl wearing dark-blue clothing that covered her from head to toe, with only a small gap where her violet eyes were. She stared at him intently, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"That depends on you," she snapped at him, voice muffled. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The youth chuckled. "The names Ryo Akiyama, and I'm just passing through. Thanks for the save though." Winking at her, he tipped a salute. "I'll be sure to return the favor one of these days. Later."

"You're not going any…" the girl began, reaching toward him.

She was too late. The youth wrapped himself with his veil and disappeared, leaving her to grasp thin air.

"Damn it," the girl whispered, spinning around to see if she was just being tricked. Hearing the sound of alarms in the distance, Rika leapt into the air, deciding to follow Ryo's lead and disappear.

7


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 8

"…_there is still no word as PlanPol has refused to comment on the attack on the National Museum. Sources indicate that the attack was a rogue heros that was not logged into the system."_

As Takato watched the news report, a pang of fear pounding in his chest, the newswoman—Nancy Takaishi—turned to the woman sitting across from her, hands clasped in front of her.

_"Ms. Endo, there are many in our audience who are wondering if this rogue heros is actually an agent from one of the Eurasian Kingdoms, as they are not a part of the Federated World Empire and relations have become increasingly strained with them in recent times. As a someone who once worked with PlanPol, can you corroborate any of this?"_

_ "Well Ms. Takaishi,"_ began the interviewee, sitting back in her seat. _"There's no denying that there have been problems between the Old and New Worlds—particularly Avalon—but really, there isn't anything that either side would be able to gain by attacking each other at this point, even with a small-time terrorist attack. As things stand, the words 'mutually assured annihilation' come to mind, making any direct power plays like this to be frankly too dangerous to try. I think we can rule out the political chess games."_

"_In that case, what do you have to say about how this will affect things on the home front? Heroi Civil Rights groups are concerned that this will trigger a new wave of anti-heroi sentiment in spite of two hundred years of good behavior."_

_ "I can certainly understand their concern,"_ Endo replied, readjusting herself in her seat. She seemed awfully uncomfortable, as though this were the last place she wanted to be at this moment. _"We go through this just about every time a tragedy occurs. Let me remind your audience that this individual is _not _registered and could very well be a deviant. We've had deviants before—heroi that manage to hide the emergence of their powers and go under the radar…"_

_ "…which you describe in one of your books, _PlanPol: Plan for Failure…" Nancy interjected. Endo chuckled grimly.

_"No one's perfect, Nancy, which was the point that I was making in the book. But coming back to the topic at hand, there's no—and I repeat, _no—_reason for anyone to be afraid of any heroi that they meet on the streets. A number of them are like every other law abiding citizen and a great deal of people recognize this. There's no reason for any heroi to be afraid to go out at night…"_

"Jeez," said Takashi, his plate clattering as he got up from his seat at the kitchen table. "I almost can't believe it."

Mie pressed her lips together, but chose not to follow up on her husband's comment and instead opted to put on a forced smile as she turned toward her son.

"So…" she began in a restrained tone. "…how is everything? Are you enjoying dinner?"

Takato looked up from his meal. It had been half-finished about ten minutes ago, and stayed that way ever since the news report came on about the attack on the National Museum of History.

"Oh…fine," he replied in a tone that was equally as tense as his mothers. "I think I might be coming down with something." He gave her a wan smile. "I think it's because of the medicine."

"I'm afraid that there isn't much that can be done about that," Mie said apologetically, returning to her meal. "The doctor said that it will take a while for you to get used to it, so you may have some ups and downs." She offered him a sympathetic smile. "The symptoms are supposed to pass quickly though, so you don't have to worry about life returning to normal again."

"Yeah," Takato demurred. "Normal."

Mie eyed him curiously before shaking her head. "Why don't you head on up to bed?" she suggested. "If you're not feeling well, you should get some rest. I'll put your food away for you and you can have it later if you feel like it."

"Thanks Mom," Takato said, quickly taking up being excused. _This evening could _not _get any longer…_

As he retreated out of the room, his thoughts were broken by his mother, speaking in a hushed, angry tone to his father.

"This is all because of those stories that his grandfather filled his head with…"

Takato felt a flash of anger as he turned and began to trudge up the stairs to his room.

_What does Grandpa have to do with any of this?_ he wondered. He knew the answer to that question of course…or at least thought he did. She had already shown a great deal of disapproval for heroi in the past, a stark contrast to her father, who used to tell him tales of the Ages that came prior. Classical, Iron, Gold, Silver, Bronze… All the stories, all the legends, all history that the man wanted to pass down to his grandson just as any self-respecting grandfather would. What was wrong with that?

_Because she thinks that I'm going to go off and turn into a monster._ Takato pushed open his bedroom door and closed it shut behind him. Taking a deep breath he surveyed his room, his eyes eventually settling on the window that led to his sanctuary, and beyond that…Guilmon.

_Good thing I only have to take that stupid pill once a day,_ he thought before speaking. "Hey, Jeri?"

The Companion hesitated a moment before answering.

_"…yes?"_

Earlier…before I somehow sent myself flying into the wall…" He frowned. Was that his power? "…we were talking about Guilmon. Would you tell my parents if I went off to look for him?"

There was another pause before Jeri spoke.

_"As long as you don't endanger anyone or get in trouble yourself with the authorities I see no reason to tell them anything."_

"Okay then." Cracking his knuckles, the young boy went over to his bunk bed and pulled back the top sheet. Taking hold of the bottom one, he rolled it up and then covered it back up.

_"That seems a little old fashioned…"_ Jeri observed. _"I don't think it will work."_

"Not if I leave the lights on," Takato replied. "Mom is pretty good about letting me sleep and I already said that I don't feel well."

_"What if she wants to take your temperature?"_

"…I'll work that out. Hopefully I'll be back before then. _If _she decides to take my temperature." He turned toward the window. "Time to vamoose."

_Just hang in there, Guilmon,_ he thought, climbing down the ladder and pushing open the window. _I'm _finally _on my way. Jeez… I'd make a lousy superhero. _

**...**

In her artificial mind, Jeri was abuzz with activity, her blue eye winking on and off with such rapidity that it was difficult to tell for an outsider at first glance whether she was actually doing anything at all. Something had changed within her. Something was different, and that something was related to whatever had happened to Takato when his F.S. Field discharged around her. Energy had surged across her circuits, and for a moment she lost contact with the main server at PlanPol. She was all right though. Her personality subroutines were functioning fine. No matter how many times she scanned herself she couldn't find any issues. So what was the problem?

She hadn't sent a report of the incident to PlanPol. She was hesitating to do so even now.

That _never _happened with Companions.

As Takato began to climb out his bedroom window, Jeri's electric eye swung up toward the sky, wondering if her creators were watching her. If they even knew, or cared, about what was wrong with her right now.

**…**

Rika chewed on her lower lip as she sat atop a house overlooking the Matsuki residence, dog in her lap and reading a news article on her cell phone. As of an hour ago the media was all abuzz about the attack on the museum, and for good reason.

_Two dozen PlanPol Guardian Spheres destroyed,_ she read, amazed that the government wasn't even trying to hide that juicy piece of information. _One Hall Monitor destroyed. One Hydra egg destroyed._

For the Guardians she couldn't help but feel some level of perverse pleasure at their reported 'casualties'. She was not a fan of the mechanical law enforcers, if only because their primary role was to take down people like her. She could understand it, but she didn't have to like it.

The second—the so-called _Hall Monitor—_however, worried her. Information was scarce about it. In fact, prior to today, there had been no facts about it at all. She herself only knew what she saw upon arrival at the battlefield. A humanoid death machine ready to start a war with the young man at the scene, Ryo.

She didn't want to feel worried. She dispatched it easily enough, but it was an unknown, which could potentially impact how she was going to fight in the future.

_Here we go,_ she thought, seizing upon a line in the article she was reading written by someone with the handle of _Kitsune_. _Hall Monitors, _she read to herself._ The new guard for the citizenry? Or a violation of civil rights?_ Hurriedly she read on.

_"As its name suggests, this 'chameleon android' is meant to monitor and patrol undetected within sensitive areas, such as the schools, city streets, government office buildings, and places of historical or military importance. They take on the appearance of your normal, everyday person so as to not be noticed until someone steps out of line"_ A bead of sweat appeared upon her forehead just then and Rika found herself shuddering. _So these things can blend in with other people?_ She read on, where another line brought her to a halt.

_"They are indistinguishable from normal human beings."_

The puppy in her lap, sensing her distress, shifted in her lap and nuzzled her chin. Rika drew back a bit, grimacing at his wet nose sliming across her skin. "Knock it off," she grunted. The puppy wined, looking at her with large, dark eyes that begged for attention. Against her will, Rika scratched behind his ears, eliciting a low groan from his doggy throat.

"You're such a pest," Rika sighed, looking away from the animal and back at the house she was monitoring. She gasped and almost bolted to her feet as she saw her target shimmy down to the ground out of a mess of tree branches.

"Looks like we'll be getting rid of you sooner than I thought," Rika said, adjusting her grip on the puppy. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, already planning out the best way to meet up with the kid without arousing suspicion from either his part or PlanPol's.

_I doubt he'll be suspicious,_ she thought, taking in the kid's appearance as he darted down the alleyway and checked both directions. _He doesn't look too smart. But PlanPol…_

No. Her contact assured her that the skies were going to be clear a little while longer. PlanPol would be too busy making up for the number of Spheres they lost in key areas to bother monitoring someone like her.

_And they've got their Companion keeping an eye on this kid anyway, so I doubt they'd waste resources on him either. _Rika nodded to herself in satisfaction. _Okay, let's trail him and see where he goes. If everything works out, I can make contact, give him back his dog, and make it look so natural that no one will think twice about it._

Tapping a foot on the rooftop, Rika took to the air, keeping a respectable distance so as to not be too easily seen.

**…**

The biggest problem, Rika learned quickly, was not in finding the right location or in making it look natural—she felt plenty confident that she could pull those two things off—it was in keeping the dog quiet.

"You couldn't be any more subtle than if I walked through the Alps with a marching band," she scolded the puppy, landing on the path within the park close to where the incident with Shibumi had occurred. "I swear that you're trying to cause me trouble."

The puppy, for his part, simply looked at her with his dark doggy eyes and tilted his head to one side. The one lopsided ear just seemed to say, _"I'm just a dog. I don't know what you want."_

"Jerk," Rika said in response. Scratching the dog's ear, she picked up his leash, took a deep breath, and started walking. The puppy quickly fell into step beside her and together they made their way down the path. The shadows were deepening, and the golden sky began to take on a dark blue tinge to it. Instinctively, Rika tapped the side of her pocket where her cell phone lay, half-expecting her mother to start calling her, wondering where she was.

_If she calls, she calls. She'll be thrilled to know that I'm getting rid of the dog._

Still, she hated having to tell her mother where she was. She had more important things to deal with. _Especially since _she _doesn't consider _some _people as important enough to look for._ She resisted the urge to grind her teeth together. The thought almost made her wish that she could keep the animal, just to spite her.

_"GUILMONNN…"_

Rika raised an eyebrow at the odd sounding call. _Is that the kid calling for the dog?_

Sure enough, the dog barked loudly in response to the voice and began to tug on the leash. Rika easily held him in place, and her grip didn't so much as budge. "Easy there," she commanded. "Let's see what's up first."

For once though, the puppy didn't listen to her and continued to tug and pull on the leash, causing Rika to frown at him. "Hey!" she snapped. "Would you just take it easy already? You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing tha-!"

Realizing that he wasn't going to stop, she quickly released the leash. As expected, the dog—Guilmon, a name that she was already shuddering over—raced off down the park path with wild purpose. Rolling her eyes, Rika gave chase, checking her speed just enough so as to not overtake the animal.

_"Guilmon!"_ came the excited shout as she drew close. Turning down a bend in the path, she saw the boy she had been following on his knees, half-lost with joy and not even bothering to keep the puppies tongue from slathering all over his face.

In spite of herself, Rika couldn't help but smile at the scene.

_Cute,_ she thought sarcastically. _He really is just a dumb kid with his dog. Well…time to put on the act._

"Sorry about that," she said, approaching the pair. "He got away from me and…" She cocked an eyebrow in false realization. "He got all uppity when someone started calling earlier. You…wouldn't happen to be his owner, would you?"

"Huh?" Takato caught a firm grip on Guilmon's leash and gently pushed him back before getting to his feet. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Hesitantly Rika put out her hand for the boy to shake. He stared blankly at the offer for a moment before taking it, eyebrow raised in utter confusion. "I'm Rika," she said. "I found the dog earlier today. Well, more like he found me but…um…" She glanced down at Guilmon. "Are you his owner?"

Much to her surprise, the boy's face immediately became awkward and he withdrew his hand to scratch the back of his head.

"Not really. I found him yesterday and thought I'd take care of him. The thing is…I'm not allowed to have a dog so I've been keeping him in a shed around here."

_Really?_ Rika couldn't help but frown slightly. _Did you stop to think as to who might own that shed and what might happen if they found a strange dog sleeping there?_

She didn't say this out loud of course. She needed to get on friendly terms with this kid.

"I…see." Rika felt a little uncertain as to what to do. The dog was to be their connecting point, but he wasn't really the owner. Where did that leave them?

_Got to keep the conversation rolling._

"So you don't know who owns him?"

Takato shook his head. "He had no name tag or anything, so I just named him Guilmon…" the dog barked in response and Takato chuckled lightly. "…and he seems to like it, so…yeah."

"You can't keep him in a shed though," Rika stated bluntly, folding her arms over her chest.

"I know," Takato bobbed his head up and down in agreement. His eyes became crestfallen as he looked down at Guilmon. "I was just hoping that if I could show my parents that I could take care of him they'd just let me have him."

_A little kid dream,_ Rika scoffed mentally, but she couldn't say that the naivety was altogether a terrible thing. She could sympathize even, but that didn't change the fact that parents were parents. Once they put their foot down, moving heaven and Earth was arguably easier than convincing them to change their mind.

That didn't mean it was entirely hopeless though. In fact, Rika had an idea that this would turn out to be better for her than she expected.

"Hold on. I have an idea."

Digging into her pants pocket, she produced a pen, but scowled upon finding an utter lack of anything to write on.

"Hey do you have a piece of paper or something?" she asked, brushing back her bangs."

"Uh…yeah, I think so." Pulling out his pockets, he quickly produced a scrap of wadded up paper torn from a small notepad and handed it to the girl. Rika snatched it up and quickly scribbled down her cell phone number.

"If you feel okay with it," she said, returning the paper to him, "I can take 'Guilmon' home with me for tonight, and tomorrow you can give me a call so we can talk about this. I have an idea that might work out, but I need to run it by my mom first."

Takato took the paper back with a stunned expression on his face. "This…this is…" A wide smile broke across his face. "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure?" Rika looked down at Guilmon, a grin on her face. "What do you think, pup?"

Guilmon barked, causing Rika to chuckle. "Trust me." She winked at Takato. "He likes me, and I've got a soft spot for dogs. Don't worry about it. My mom will agree whether she likes it or not."

Takato shook his head in disbelief. This seemed to be too good to be true. Someone—a complete stranger—was offering to help him take care of an animal? His mind felt like it was caught up in a whirlwind, one thought darting this way and that such utter abandon that he couldn't grab hold of either one long enough to focus. In the end, realizing that the girl was expecting an answer, he found himself nodding in agreement.

"Sure," he said dumbly.

Rika smiled at him, flashing cheerful, white teeth at him.

"All right then." Her lips closed over her teeth, maintaining their northern curve. "Guess we'll be seeing each other tomorrow then."

**…**

Riley ran her eyes over the reports, her expression neutral. In front of her stood Tally, her hands folded in front of her and holding a file. Her lips were pressed into one thin line, showing tension and anxiety. Riley couldn't blame her for either. Today had not been a good day for them.

_A relic destroyed; 24 Guardians destroyed; one injured security guard; costs of redirecting traffic; the museum's lost revenue; minor public property damage…_ Riley resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. _The board is not going to be happy about this._

She tapped on her keyboard and brought up a separate page, this one showing a photo of the young man from the museum attack.

"As if we didn't have anything else to be concerned about with Shibumi." She glanced up at Tally. "And you're certain that this is him?"

"We ran the museum footage through our files and cross-compared them. There's a definite match." Tally bounced herself on the back of her heels before continuing. "He was caught up in Tartarus, and his body was never found. It was a safe assumption that he was lost with the whole city."

Riley thumbed her chin. "All this time and he doesn't look the worse for wear either."

"His power is atomic control…"

Riley nodded. "Any luck on locating him? He should still be hot after his power use."

"Not presently. He seems to have teleported somewhere out of range of our sensors. He may be back in Tartarus for all we know."

"He didn't have that power before." Riley furrowed her brow. "Does he have help then? That other Heros that attacked the Hall Monitor…?"

"That one disappeared as well, but there's nothing to suggest that they were at all connected. Either way, we don't have the means to detect him the way we do with Ryo. We're looking at a pretty standard power set. Super strength; physical durability…possibly flight. That's just based on the footage, and that range of powers belongs to quite a number of heroi."

"Hmmm…" Riley drummed her forefinger on her chin. "Well, it's a start for us. Have someone run through a list of likely suspects and narrow it down based on body type." She clicked on another tab and opened an image of the heros that came to Ryo's rescue. "Looks awfully like a kid. A girl too."

"Do you have an idea who that could be?" asked Tally, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really," Riley admitted. "But…" She glanced at her subordinate. "Most children born to heroi can inherit their parents' powers right?"

Tally nodded. "Usually one or the other; the parent whose genes are most dominant, yeah."

"Another step in the right direction." She changed tabs to another report. "Any idea on this 'Kitsune' who leaked the information on the Hall Monitor?"

"An infamous hacker wanted throughout Eurasia and the Empire. He—or she—is considered something of a hero in the online community." Tally raised the folder she was carrying. "We don't have a whole lot of information on him, unfortunately. This is about it. Outside of the publicity he generates, he covers his tracks very well."

"Find him." Riley sighed and, in an uncharacteristic show of exhaustion, she rested her head in her hands. "Damn it. Because of his article I have to address the media about the 'controversy' of camouflage androids walking around in public."

Tally gave her friend a sympathetic smile. "Isn't that what you told the board when they first pushed for it?"

"And like the complete idiots they were, they completely ignored me. If it weren't for Yamaki this…" She took a deep breath and composed herself. "He should be the one in the hot seat for this debacle. Not me. But he's not, so I have to make the crap smell as rosy as possible so that the public won't hang me."

"They won't _hang _you," Tally chuckled.

"You're right." Riley sniffed irritably. "They'll crucify me. The board won't get in trouble because I'm the public face in all of this. The public needs a face to spit at and they're not it."

Tally frowned. "Riley…"

"Sorry." Riley smiled at her subordinate. "You warned me as well when I took this job. Full circle, huh?"

"We'll make the best of this, Riley," Tally said encouragingly. "Look on the bright side. With Tartarus returning, they won't want to fire you."

"How nice for a possible apocalypse to possibly save my job." Riley chuckled with all the grim humor of a graveyard. "Changing the subject, how's Shibumi? Is he talking yet?"

Tally shook her head.

"I thought so. Well, we'll let him cool his heels for tonight. We have the more immediate mess to deal with. Let me know if the brains pick up Ryo."

"Will do, boss lady," Tally nodded firmly, giving her a snappy salute. It was hardly professional, but behind closed doors with just the two of them Riley was relieved to have anything break up the tension of the day. As Tally left, closing the door behind her with a click, Riley returned her attention to the matter at hand.

_How am I going to make sense of this latest mess?_

8


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 9

The glint of dawn filtered in through Teruo's bedroom window and he looked up with dry, crusty eyes. He yawned in response to it, his eyelids feeling as though they were weighed down by lead.

"Whoever says good morning to me deserves to be shot," he muttered, taking the screwdriver in his hand to the small mechanical device in his hand. The device was circular with a bronze coloring to it. Right now its top was open, giving it the appearance of a locket—albeit one with exposed circuitry, battery, and a computer chip.

_If this works though, whoever said "early bird gets the worm" deserves cookies._

"Man I'm tired," he yawned again, turning a screw. "This had better work. I hate pulling all-nighters like this…"

The door to Teruo's bedroom swung open with an abrupt click, and the resulting adrenaline rush swept away—briefly—the exhaustion that plagued his mind. With reflexes born from experience, Teruo quickly dashed his device under his desk and pulled over a bizarre open metal box with a spring hanging limply from its top.

"Teruo," Henry said upon seeing what the young boy was working on. "What are you up to now?"

Turning in his chair, Teruo grinned. "Just your guts to ask out Officer Jenny," he said slyly. "She's guaranteed to be sent to the scene since she has the most experience dealing with me you know…"

"Oh no," Henry said, shaking his head. Storming forward he snatched up the box with the spring from Teruo, who feigned being too sleep-addled to stop him.

"Hey!"

"Don't 'hey' me, mister," Henry scolded. "You're costing the department enough money as it is with your nonsense. If you keep it up it will only be a matter of time before they decide to do something about that brain of yours."

"Doubtful," Teruo grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "We both know that my 'brain' is too valuable for your scientists to be cutting out."

"They won't 'cut'…"

"You say tomato, I say tomato." Teruo waved a dismissive hand at his guardian. "I'm just trying to do what's best for you."

"And _I_ am trying to do what's best for _you,"_ Henry said sternly. "I can't do that if you keep causing trouble like this." Sighing, he brought up the box and looked at the wiring that lay within. "Looks like the research department is going to spend some sleepless nights trying to figure this one out. C'mon, Teruo. Get dressed."

Teruo sulked. "I don't want to go to the lab."

"I'm sure you don't," Henry nodded in understanding. "But you know the deal."

"Yeah, yeah." Getting up from his seat in resignation, Teruo went over to his dresser and started pulling out clothes without care for what he grabbed. Henry watched him for a moment before exiting the room.

"Breakfast's in ten," he said, shutting the door behind him.

Teruo made a noncommittal noise as the door clicked. Alone now, a wide grin broke across his face.

"Yeah, those lab guys are going to have quite a few sleepless nights all right," he muttered under his breath.

A part of him wanted to praise his perceived genius by using a decoy, though he knew that it had more to do with having long dealt with the habits of PlanPol's Research and Development Department. Anything he worked on was usually taken away for study and—if viewed as too dangerous—destroyed. His jet pack was one such device, and it was fortunate, if not miraculous due to the sheer scope of the project, that he had kept that one hidden all the way to completion.

_I can't do it too often though,_ he mused, shrugging out of yesterday's shirt and pulling on a random, bright orange one._ I can't afford to let them catch on to what I'm really working on._

As if on cue his computer screen lit up and a fox icon appeared.

_Not cool, Kitsune,_ he thought, putting on his jeans before heading over to his computer. Tapping a button his computer took him immediately to his instant messenger.

_Kitsune: Hello._

Teruo rolled his eyes.

_Teruo: Dangerous screen saver you put on, man. What if Henry was in here? He only left a second ago._

_ Kitsune: My, my. Then it's a good thing I contacted you when I did. So…learn anything else?_

Teruo pulled on his socks and glanced around for his shoes. He spied them under the bed and returned back to his keyboard.

_Teruo: I'll tell you when I get back. Henry's taking me to the Institute today and he'll be mad if I'm holding things up._

He could almost hear the chuckle from the other end of the monitor.

_Kitsune: All right. See you later._

With that, the instant messenger box vanished, causing Teruo to scowl to no end.

_Really wish he wouldn't have that much control over my computer. I'll have to do something about that._

Kitsune's invasive attitude could wait though. He had other things to attend to. Snatching up his device from beneath his desk, he looked it over carefully before grabbing his screwdriver. Giving it one last twist, he snapped the lid shut and pocketed the device.

"All right," he said to himself. "Let's go."

**…**

Takato stared down at the small, pale pill in his hand, his face done up in a grimace. Sitting on the counter next to him was Jeri, watching him with her electric blue eye.

_"You know you're going to have to take the pill sooner or later. All your actions are being logged you know."_

Takato's grimace transformed into a scowl, one he directed at the Companion. "I know," he replied irritably. "Doesn't mean I have to like it," he added under his breath.

_"I can hear that,"_ Jeri said, causing the boy to jump.

_Great. I can't even get away with that either!_

"All right," he said, raising his hand to mouth level. "Down the hatch." Tossing back his head, he dumped the pill into his mouth. Grabbing the small glass of water on the counter he drank it down.

_Swish, swish, and swallow._

"Blagh," Takato said, sticking out his tongue childishly. "Tastes awful."

_"I don't know why,"_ said Jeri. _"Scientists have added artificial sweeteners to ensure that it tastes fine."_

"Are scientists always right?"

_"The current hypothesis is that there is a psychosomatic disorder with the heroi brain that is preventing it from recognizing the sweetener."_

"Uh…" Takato reached for his toothbrush and cocked an eyebrow at the Companion. "So you're saying that I'm nuts?"

_"Not at all,"_ replied Jeri. _"Just that you dislike the Paxio because of how you feel about it."_

"I hate it so I hate how it tastes? _That_ makes sense." Takato uncapped the toothpaste and squeezed it onto his brush, gratefully drowning out the bad taste of Paxio in a flurry of minty freshness.

Still, he couldn't help but admit that it was something to think about. Did thinking about something have that much effect over the world?

_If that were the case, I'd have A's all the time in school and heroi wouldn't have to be treated like freaks. I'd be out there, being a hero, defending people and…huh?_

Takato furrowed his brow when he found himself unable to let go of the toothpaste. His fingers refused to so much as budge from their grip, no matter how hard his finger-muscles pulled. Becoming suddenly worried, he glanced over at Jeri to see if she was watching.

"Um…so…uh…" His mind raced, trying to think of something—_anything—_to say that could possibly distract the machine. He was perhaps a little too young to realize that it wasn't a particularly easy task to distract something that was designed to pay attention to multiple things at once while running fifty calculations in its head.

_"Don't worry, Takato,"_ Jeri said in a calm tone. _"Given the immature state of your F.S. Field, it's to be expected that there would be some flare-up as the Paxio takes effect. You should be able to release your fingers momentarily."_

Sure enough, one by one, Takato's fingers uncurled from their grasp and the toothpaste bottle clattered on the counter. Breathing a heavy sigh, Takato clenched and unclenched his hand.

_That…was something else,_ he thought quietly, trying to bury the amazement and regret—and the fear—over what he had just experienced. _ I could be something with this,_ he realized. He soon corrected himself. _I could have been something. Now I'm going to be just like everyone else._

Looking up at the ceiling, closing his fist, he found that wasn't too sure if he liked the idea.

_"Takato?"_ prompted Jeri. _"Are you all right?"_

"Huh?" Takato jolted back to reality and then clumsily jammed the toothbrush in his mouth.

"Yeah, I am," he said as he scrubbed furiously at his teeth, though thanks to the presence of the plastic object in his mouth it came out as garbled gibberish. Not that it mattered to Takato. He had an idea that Jeri understood what he was saying anyway.

_She probably has an app for understanding toothbrush,_ he thought sarcastically. The thought made him laugh suddenly. Spitting into the sink, Takato turned on the water to wash it all out.

**…**

Jeri was concerned.

More than concerned. She was more accurately in the realm of artificial panic. She had simulations of emotions—to a degree so as to protect her owner from herself. Panic however was not one of those apps so the experience was rather new to her. The closest she could get to a description as far as human terms went was panic, but the reality involved more a conflict of emotional apps and what she presumed to be a glitch from whatever Takato had done yesterday that had damaged her.

_It was his F.S. Field activating, I'm certain of it,_ she thought. She knew that it also had something to do with the electromagnetic disturbance from yesterday as well, but for her it was negligible due to the distance between herself and it. Yet somehow Takato was effected to a large degree that caused his F.S. Field to _explode_ outward in a short burst. _Resonance?_ she wondered. It was a possibility, but she didn't have enough information to properly formulate a hypothesis on the matter.

The damage she incurred though concerned her greatly. She knew that she absolutely had to report her findings and receive instruction, and yet something within her was preventing her from doing so. She couldn't even _talk_ about it with Takato or even hint at it to her superiors. The best she could do was inform her superiors that 'all was well', even though things clearly weren't to her.

So she was panicking.

_I wonder how much time I have before I suffer a system's failure from this unsolvable scenario?_ The idea left Jeri with a sense of failure and incompleteness. She supposed that she could compare it to depression. Her death appeared inevitable, and she hadn't been online for a very long time. In addition, and perhaps worst of all in regards to her programming, she was failing in her duties to Takato as well.

_I have to do something,_ she thought. _I have to fulfill my duty if nothing else. But…how?_

She hoped that she had enough time to find a solution before she crashed.

**…**

Rika sat outside in the garden, reading her book while idly petting Guilmon from his spot next to her. The puppy was more than happy to lay there and be quiet, being content with the level of attention that he was receiving. She was grateful for his calm attitude, or more accurately his obedience when she told him to "be good" while she read. She had to admit that it was good to know that there was _something_ she could control, or at least met her expectations.

As she turned the page, she glanced over at her cell phone from where it lay next to her. There was still no call yet, or a message.

_As far as my mom is concerned he might as well not call,_ she thought remembering her conversation late last night. _A boy who isn't allowed to take care of a pet is someone who might as well not be helping. Why else wouldn't he be trusted with such a responsibility?_

She grimaced at the memory. She had to really swallow her pride to get her mother to agree to the deal.

_The things I have to do… I really hope that kid is worth all this trouble. I don't want to have to go through all this just to find out that it's all for nothing. You better have known what you were doing, Shibumi._

As her free hand traced over Guilmon's fuzzy ear, her cell phone buzzed next to her. Taking a moment to bookmark her place, she snapped her book closed and quickly picked it up. She didn't recognize the number.

_That's got to be him,_ she thought, hitting the reply button.

**…**

Rumiko watched her daughter from inside the house, worriedly drinking a cup of coffee.

_From the look on your face I guess it's that boy calling you,_ she thought, seeing the girl's lips curl up in a smile. _It's been a long time since I last saw you looking like that._

A touch of sadness pervaded her heart, and she took a moment to wallow in it before taking another sip from her coffee mug. Turning away from the window, she headed into the living room and came to a stop in front of a photo showing herself, Rika, and another girl, older than Rika, with cherry-blond hair and an amused, almost knowing look in her eyes. The corners of her lips were curved ever so slightly up so as to leave her smile almost invisible.

"They're both beautiful," came a familiar voice as a youthful young man appeared in the reflection in the photo. Gasping, Rumiko spun around, coffee dropping out of her hand and spilling onto the floor, staining the carpet. The youth smiled. "Hey Rumi."

"Wha…" Rumiko dropped her fists—she hadn't even realized that she had made her hands into fists—staring blankly at the youth. "R-Ryo?! What…how…?"

'"How are you?'" Ryo prompted with a grin and a sweeping bow. A stain of red colored Rumiko's face and she placed a hand on the wall to steady herself. This…this was too much of a shock for her.

"What are _you_ doing here? Doing _back?!_ You…Tartarus…!"

"All a long time ago," Ryo said, his face becoming melancholy. "I wanted to see you again, so…here I am."

"My…my daughter's outside," she stammered, trying to grasp the situation. "She can't…"

"She won't see me," Ryo replied, stepping over to the couch behind the coffee table. "Trust me on that." He grinned. "Although I shouldn't have to tell you about that. You already know me well enough for that…right?" He sat himself down and regarded Rumiko for a moment. "Time hasn't changed how you feel about me _that _much, has it?"

Rumiko frowned, finally starting to feel as though she were on comfortable ground again. _Just like slipping on an old shoe…_

"Still the playboy?"

Ryo shrugged. "I'm just saying hi," he grinned. "Can't an old friend do that? You know, I've got to say, I'm really liking how your being a heroi has treated you. You've aged well in…how long? I've lost track."

"A gentleman never asks a lady's age," Rumiko grumbled. She looked down at the mess on the floor. "That is going to stain…"

"Let me get that," Ryo said, raising a hand. A light glow surrounded his fingers before floating over to the coffee stain. The light hovered over the mess and as Rumiko watched it swept the area clean, as though there had never been a spill in the first place.

"I remember there was a reason why we kept you around," Rumiko smirked.

"I'm a little tired to remake your coffee," Ryo chuckled. "Sorry for barging in on you like this, but…I need a place to hold up for a few hours. I figured you'd still be living here so I thought I'd stop by."

"I thought you said you wanted to see me," Rumiko said pointedly, folding her arms beneath her breasts. Ryo smiled wanly.

"Sorry," was all that he managed. Rumiko sighed.

"All right. For old times, you can sleep in my bedroom. Rika never goes in there anyway."

Ryo's smile became teasing. "I thought it would take a little more effort to get you to invite me into there…"

"Don't push your luck. You're going to give me some information while you're here." Rumiko scowled and glanced out the window. "Look, we can't talk in here. Rika…"

The door from the kitchen opened, and Rika's voice could be heard echoing up from down the hall.

"Mom! Mom?!"

"Damn it," Rumiko swore. "One minute, Rika," she called out. "Ryo," she began, quickly turning back to the boy, only to find that he had disappeared. Huffing in annoyance, she turned to find her daughter standing in the entrance to the living room. "Ah!" Rumiko gasped in surprise. Composing herself, she brushed aside a lock of hair and forced a smile. "Yes, Rika, what is it?"

"The kid I told you about last night," Rika replied. "He just called. I'm going to meet up with him in the park to discuss the deal about our friend."

"Okay," Rumiko nodded fervently. "Have fun." She paused before adding, "Maybe you should bring him by. I would like to meet your 'business partner'."

Rika hesitated, but nodded. "I'll see if he can," she replied before turning and leaving the room. Rumiko sighed.

_That was a close one,_ she thought. _The last thing I need is for her to be asking all sorts of questions, and the wrong ones at that. If she found out about Ryo…_ She exited the living room and made her way to her bedroom. Opening the door she found exactly what she expected. The young man was sprawled on his side, fast asleep.

_You didn't even bother taking off your favorite jacket,_ Rumiko noted, closing the door behind her. "What kind of trouble did you get into that's got you so tired?" she asked aloud, placing her hands on her hips. Not getting an answer—and not really expecting one—she set herself down on the bed next to him, running a gentle hand through the youth's hair. "A better question would be…what are you doing back?" Her expression hardened. "What is _Tartarus_ doing back?"

6


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Icon

Chapter: 10

"Not taking your suppressant is a punishable offense, Mr. Mizuno," the dark-eyed agent said from his spot across from the balding man.

Shibumi smiled at the man in a half-amused manner. "I thought I wasn't being charged with a crime?"

The agent's expression did not change at the remark. "We would rather that we didn't," he replied. "However, heroi that are off the radar as you yourself have been are, under law, to be considered dangerous. While your record does indeed speak for itself," the agent lifted a sheet of paper from the folder on the table, "there remains that one fact. We're looking closer into each of your recorded visitations to civilization. One incident of reckless endangerment of a child five years ago, and one five years before that. There's also the one from yesterday morning as well. Three in a row." The agent eyed Shibumi carefully as he dropped the paper back onto the folder. "There's a pattern there. One would almost suspect that you're picking and choosing targets."

Shibumi still continued to keep smiling, as though he were not in the least bit concerned about the man's assessment. "I believe your investigation will show otherwise."

"Doubtful that a jury will see it that way after they take yesterday into account. This is the reason why heroi are supposed to be on suppressors. Every citizen in the Empire knows it. Heroi cause chaos everywhere they go when they are not being managed. I believe history speaks very plainly of the Fall of Valhalla."

"That was over two hundred years ago," Shibumi remarked. "Longer than I've been around."

"Heroi live a very long time. You change alias' enough times, live enough lies, who's going to believe that you are who you say you are? You could be anyone, including a war criminal. Enough of them went into hiding after the Great War that you could be anybody. Your birth records could just as easily have been faked."

"Is this why the Empire has such a bad reputation in the world?" Shibumi chuckled. "You'll spin any story—go to any lengths to get what you want."

"You stand to lose everything, Mr. Mizuno," the agent said quietly. "The choice is in your hands. Besides," he leaned forward, "your being here is not part of _your _plan. Every moment you spend within our walls is a moment you lose."

For a moment, Shibumi looked troubled, but it quickly cleared. "Perhaps," he replied, smiling his small smile again. "But the moment that I lose everything isn't here yet."

The agent nodded, packed up his things, and stood up.

"It's your call for now, Mr. Mizuno. Sooner or later though it's going to be ours. I'll see you later."

Tipping an imaginary hat at the man, the agent turned and left the interrogation room.

**…**

Riley was in the observation room as the agent entered, her arms folded beneath her breasts and her lips drawn into one thin line.

"Nothing," the agent reported, upon closing the door behind him. "He's sticking to his guns."

"He knows that he doesn't have to worry about us. His records are too solid. He wasn't even an Active until fifteen years ago when a lab experiment 'turned on' his powers. We have enough evidence of him aging like every other normal person right up until that moment." Riley grimaced. "Did you really think that approaching from this angle would work?"

The agent shook his head. "No, but drawing out his thought process is important and I didn't want him seeing that until it was too late. He needs to do something. At the very end, when I mentioned that as long as he was stuck here he couldn't pursue his objective, I saw something in his eyes. He'll crack if he stays here too long."

"He's targeted three children." Riley tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Three children over the course of ten years. We know about Takato… What about the other two?"

"No one that has done anything out of the ordinary since he came into contact with them. At least that's what the earliest reports say. We're looking into their records as we speak. None of them were heroi when Shibumi encountered them, we know that much."

"And the Matsuki kid… Anything new about him?"

"The latest Companion report has mentioned no change. He's been quiet."

"Odd." _Heroi usually have fluctuations when adjusting to treatment…_ "Maybe our Guardians got to Shibumi before he could do anything more than activate the heroi gene. Have someone go over the initial report and blood work with the doctor who examined him. I want to make sure that this is side covered."

"I'll call for an agent to escort Shibumi back to his room."

Riley paused before shaking her head. "Not just yet," she said. "I want him to stay there for a bit longer. I'll call for someone to escort him when I feel he's good and ready."

The agent hesitated but nodded and turned to leave. Upon leaving, Riley took out her cell phone and dialed a number.

_"Watch Tower," _came the reply after a moment's ring.

"Riley here," she said. "I want you to cut any equipment recording and transmitting anything in interrogation room 420. Chalk it up as an equipment malfunction and send…" Her mind thought quickly as to who she could trust. "…Yolei to fix it. I'll have her call you to tell you to turn it back on."

_"Ma'am?"_ came the baffled response.

"That was an order Watch Tower."

_"Y-Yes ma'am."_

She hung up. _Good people, but awfully slow in the uptake._ Reaching behind her she withdrew her service pistol and chambered a round. Putting it back in the holster she waited until Yolei showed up. It was about ten minutes before she did so, and when she did it was with the same enthusiasm and energy that was the reason Riley asked for her to begin with.

It was far from the only reason though.

"Hey," the purple-haired girl chirped with a wide grin. "What's up?"

Riley nodded to her. Yolei was an Alpha class, level one Heros, which as far as the grading went she had only minor physical mutations. Her unusual hair color was the only mutation she had—nonexistent in normal citizens. Otherwise she was as normal as anyone.

"I'm going to interrogate the prisoner alone," Riley said. "I need you to relax and think of a reason why all the monitoring equipment in the room isn't working."

Yolei raised an eyebrow and took a look through the window. "Are you sure?"

"Quite. He's been uncooperative with everyone else so far. I'm hoping that I'll be a change of pace."

Yolei was silent for but a moment before she turned and saluted her superior. "You got it, boss! Just you wait. I'll have a reason so convincing that no one will dare to think twice about questioning the story."

Riley nodded and smiled at the girl, appreciating her loyalty. In all the time that she had known her, from her senior year as a graduate at Tokyo University, when Yolei had only been a freshman, the girl had earned a reputation for keeping things 'under the bus' as she called it, mostly due to her ability to handle difficult or potentially damaging information that her friends couldn't and coming out of it with no one the wiser. Prior to having been kicked upstairs into Yamaki's seat, she, Tally, and Yolei had lunch together often and the three would work together to solve problems for PlanPol.

_There are times where I wonder if they promoted the wrong person. But she insists that she prefers supporting on the sidelines where no one can notice her._ An odd notion, but then, given the secretive nature that PlanPol had to operate at times, perhaps that was the best attitude to have. It wasn't as though becoming a _more _public figure was doing her any favors. _Not unless you count more grey hairs as a bonus,_ she commiserated, pocketing her name tag.

Opening the door to the interrogation room, Riley entered and closed it behind her with a soft click. Seeing her, Shibumi raised an eyebrow.

"Hello," he said politely. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced.

"And we won't. That takes trust, something that I'm certain you can appreciate, am I correct?"

Shibumi chuckled quietly to himself. "We all value trust to some degree," he said. "Not that any of you will trust me."

"So…start talking," she said, removing her gun from her holster. Moving quickly, she withdrew the clip and set both down on either side of the table. "My name is Riley Ootori."

Shibumi hummed softly in amazement, his eyes on the gun as Riley's hand left its handle. "I heard about you from a professor—a friend of mine by the name of Tao—at Tokyo University. You made some waves there. Can't say that I'm surprised to see you working here. He said that you had a strong sense of civic duty."

"I like to think that I do," Riley said, taking a seat and folding her hands in front of her. "Tao…was that…Janyu Wong?"

"The very same," Shibumi nodded. "Helped lay the groundwork for the Guardians. Before then PlanPol was just a bunch of law enforcement groups struggling to uphold the peace."

"His son works here."

Shibumi laughed. "Small world."

"It is the world that we are most concerned with," Riley pointed out.

"I suppose that's why you have it in between 'Federated' and 'Empire'. Everyone thinks that we're trying to conquer the world."

_"We?"_ Riley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm still a citizen. My loyalties haven't changed."

"Your lack of cooperation implies otherwise, but I suppose it's understandable, given your power."

"I see possibilities." Shibumi eyed the gun on the table, drumming a finger softly. "But that's all they are. Sometimes they take sharp turns at the last minute when someone shows up or makes a sudden realization. It's not perfect." His expression changed, becoming crestfallen for a moment. "It failed me ten years ago."

"With the child?" she asked, remembering the earlier interrogation. Shibumi shook his head.

"No. Something…else."

"What?"

Shibumi waved his hand dismissively. "It's not important now, except that I learned how badly I needed to learn about my powers. I couldn't do that with PlanPol breathing down my neck, watching my every move." He eyed her carefully for a moment before continuing. "I faked taking my pills you know."

"I see," Riley said simply and just as simply left it at that. Shibumi tapped his knuckles on the table, taking in her reaction before resuming.

"I know about Tartarus," he said finally. "That's why I came back."

Both of Riley's eyebrows shot up at that, but she quickly schooled herself to a more neutral expression. "We're still gathering information on that storm front," she said, not denying but neither confirming what Shibumi was saying. "So far a solar flare is all it is…"

"Ryo Akiyama came back didn't he?"

This time she couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes.

"How did you…?"

"I had to get closer for a better look…to see the possibility more clearly. Sometimes I think of my power as like noise that leads me to the scene of a crime. Tartarus? That makes enough noise for me to just _know _it's coming without having to go see, and believe me I _don't _want to. Where Ryo showed up, I had to get closer for that. I knew he was coming as soon as I saw the museum."

"Do you know if he's on our side?" Now Riley wished that she hadn't ordered the turning off of all the recording equipment. The board would _not _be happy if they learned about this in addition to the serious breach in protocol. This needed to be recorded.

If she made any sign to Yolei to change anything though, this interview could all be over without them learning anything else.

"I only know that he's here," continued Shibumi, shaking his head. "I haven't met him in person."

"I see. Then…the boy you…" She hesitated to use the word 'assault'. "…met in the park yesterday. What is his involvement in all of this?"

Shibumi winced. "I was hoping to create a chance to keep the Dark Age from coming."

Riley froze up at the mentioning of those words.

"A…chance?" she asked carefully.

"I was only following the sound, and it led me to him." He sighed. "But then, I was trying to avoid all the noise from the Guardians too, so I might have mistaken him for someone else. There was a _lot _of noise in the park that day; being near the statue of one of the Virtues didn't help things. That's…that's like a noise that never goes away."

Riley sighed mentally, taken aback by the sheer amount of information that she received just now. _This is a lot to take in,_ she thought, trying to get her bearings. Pulling herself together, she pushed forward mentally. _I'll organize all of this later. For now, I have to keep going._

"Shibumi, I'd like to help you. I really would. I'm not going to ask you to tell us any more than you're comfortable with, but with Tartarus in mind, are you sure that you can risk that attitude? If that city breaks loose…comes back into our world…" She let her words hang there, leaving all the weight and unspoken meaning settle squarely in Shibumi's mind where it would do the most good…or harm. It was all that she had though. All that she felt _comfortable_ with doing without going another step further.

Shibumi brought his hands in front of his mouth and rested his head against them, thinking for a moment before answering. "I have to. There's a lot of noise. I can't tell the direction that I need to go in just yet, so I'm…waiting for one to present itself more fully." He smiled wanly, and for a moment Riley could see the strain that the man was under.

_All that information that he has to process can't be good for him. _She thought back to a lecture of Janyu's that she attended concerning heroi. _"While heroi often accept what they are and others revel in their abilities, some, particularly those that were initially Inactive, just break under the strain and go wild."_

"It's all a razor's edge," Shibumi said quietly, his eyes locked on hers. "It's times like this that I wish that the Virtue heros Koushiro were here. He was good at this sort of thing. Better than me. All it takes from me is a false move and then there's no going back."

**…**

Riley closed the door to the interrogation room behind her and leaned against it. She let out a heavy breath that she didn't know she had been holding.

"You okay?" Yolei asked, eyes wide with concern.

"Quite," Riley replied, pushing away from the door and adjusting herself. Pulling out her name tag she placed it in its accustomed location on her jacket. "Not exactly," she admitted a second later. "I'm just realizing how far up I have to fall from the ladder."

"Well, that's natural isn't it? I mean, this was a bit outside of the rules."

"Except that I'm realizing that my ladder is sitting on a bunch of other ladders," Riley added. "I feel like it's all a demented 'house of ladders' and I'm struggling to balance at the very top. The whole world's below me and…" Riley shuddered suddenly. "I didn't realize how afraid of heights I am."

"Is…this a bad time to tell you that I got the recording equipment running?" Yolei asked.

"What?" Riley spun her head toward Yolei, shocked.

"Nothing external!" the girl assured her. "But as I was listening I had an idea that you might want it being recorded so I just…_fixed _things enough to make it so. We've got footage." As proof, she ejected a disk from the computer and waved it at the older woman.

Riley couldn't decide if she wanted to groan aloud or not. This was…good on many levels, but she knew she was going to get an earful all the same from her superiors.

_At least Watch Tower is on my side. I can depend on them to not say the wrong thing when questions start getting asked._

"This will help things out," Riley said, taking the disk. "I'll send this over to the Psych division and have them talk it over with Operations. Maybe they can work his talk out together and we can start planning for Armageddon."

"I've heard on the net that there's an awful lot of talk about the Dark Age coming, ever since some storm front showed up at the spot where Tartarus used to be. Is it true?"

"Just between you and me, only Yamaki and the higher ups know anything more about what's going on with that. As far as we're concerned, we're on a 'need-to-know' basis only, and right now," she looked at the disk, "unless this convinces them otherwise, 'need-to-know' is all we're going to get."

"You know…" Yolei grinned. "…I could just take a 'peek' into the archives. Then we would know and be on top of things, just like we used to in the old days."

Riley smiled, losing herself in sentimentality for a moment.

"Afraid we can't risk it," she told her friend. "For now anyway. But I'll keep it in mind."

"You'd better," Yolei said, getting up from her seat. "I'll have your back all the way, boss."

"Glad I can count on you," Riley said, pulling out her cell phone. Dialing a number, she waited a single ring before its owner picked up on the other end. "Send an agent up to escort Mr. Mizuno back to his guest room," she ordered.

**…**

A/N: Funny thing. When I started planning this morning, I had only this scene noted, which is not normally how I do things for chapters. As I started writing though to warm things up the scene just kept drawing itself out, revealing more and more of itself until it completely eclipsed any other scenes that I could have included. So here it sits, a one scene chapter that I have to admit I had a great deal of fun working with. Hope it works for the rest of you, and I'll see you all next chapter. :P

-Crazyeight

6


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 11

The elevator doors to the third floor of the PlanPol office building opened with a ding, and Henry and Teruo both stepped out. The green haired boy had a sullen look on his face as he took a look around him.

"I hate these carpets," he grumbled under his breath.

"So you've said for the hundredth time," Henry replied. He frowned at the boy. "And _don't_ tell me…"

"Thirty-seven," Teruo interrupted. Henry sighed.

"Let's just get this over with, okay? The sooner the better, you know that." He thought for a moment before a small smile crept across his face. "If you behave yourself, I'll take you somewhere."

"You've already taken me somewhere." Teruo glanced up at him, his expression annoyed.

_There's just no winning with this kid. _"Somewhere you _want_ to be."

"I don't go out," Teruo replied. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he turned and started to make his way down the hall. "Hey Jason," he greeted casually to a man passing by. Jason nodded in turn before raising an eyebrow at Henry.

"He's going ahead of you?" he asked, pointing at the boy questioningly. Henry resisted the urge to wince.

"He's just becoming a little too familiar with his way around this place," Henry replied, clapping his coworker on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll see him off and then get back to my cubical. Anything new to report?"

"Just that our department is getting a few new case files. PlanPol took a beating yesterday so we're getting pulled in all sorts of directions until the Guardian numbers are restored to optimal levels."

_Great. One more pile of paperwork that I need to worry about…_

"All right. Let the team leader know that I'll be in soon. Talk to you later."

"Right. Later."

With that, the two men parted ways and Henry strode after Teruo as he disappeared around a corner. For the briefest of moments, the young man felt as though his heart stopped in his chest at losing sight of him, but upon rounding the corner it quickly found reason to continue beating as he came across Teruo leaning against the wall, smirking.

"Don't break the rules, Henry."

"Clever," Henry said, taking the boy by the shoulder and leading him forward. "It's more _you_ that should be observing them. When you're here, you stay within my sight, or those you're assigned to work with."

"Which you've said over and over…"

"I know." Henry smiled, deciding to indulge him this time. "How many times has it been?"

Teruo returned the smile. "Thirty-eight."

Behind the pair as they left the spot Teruo had been, a small, bronze-colored, circular device lifted itself up on needle thin legs. A red light lit up at its front and watched them go until they disappeared from view, and then it scrambled away.

**…**

"All right," said a technician as he applied a sensor to Teruo's forehead. "This won't hurt a bit."

"Normally people like you lie about that," Teruo replied jokingly. The technician smiled.

"Correction: _doctor's_ lie about that. I work with machines."

"What's your point?" asked Teruo before continuing matter-of-factly. "Isn't my body a machine?"

"I'd ask the biologist," the technician quipped right back, "but ours is off today." He furrowed his brow thoughtfully for a second. "Hey, since you're so good with tech, wouldn't you be able to answer that question?"

"Uh…" Teruo hesitated, not sure how to respond to that. "Well…the guts I deal with are…metal-based. That's all my F.S. Field allows me to understand."

"Hmmm… Too bad. You'd probably make an excellent surgeon if it did." He stood back, nodding to himself. "All right. We're ready to get to work."

Teruo, dressed in nothing but a hospital gown, swung his legs up and lay himself down on the bed. No sooner did he do so did the bed jerk and begin drawing him into a small, tunnel-like device, whereupon it stopped. Teruo's fingers curled into his palm anxiously. He scanned the interior with his eyes, taking in every little detail. There were three frames dotted with slight bulges in their surface. Their proximity made him swallow.

_It's just like being in a womb,_ he thought to himself, and as though the thought had been a signal, the tension in his body began to ease up, and his fingers relaxed.

"So, what are you going to do this time?" Teruo said aloud. "Beam images into my head?"

"That's the plan," said the technician from outside. Teruo could hear him moving around, pressing buttons. "Good to see that you knew that pretty quick."

"F.S. Field's cheat," Teruo remarked, shifting. "You had to have seen my report cards, right?"

"I'm not privy to that kind of information. Only your guardian and the higher ups have access to that."

"Right." Teruo shifted again. "Look, can we hurry this up?"

"Don't worry, kid. We'll get this wrapped up in no time, and then you can have all the ice cream in the world."

"Another doctor's lie," Teruo grumbled. "You sure you don't practice?"

"Pretty sure. I've got a degree that tells me so, and I spent a great deal of time practicing it. So…no. Pretty sure I didn't study medicine. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay. Here we go."

There was a wine of machinery powering up, and then the frames burst with sudden light, not intense enough to hurt him, but enough to make Teruo clench his eyes shut reflexively. As he did so, an image of a rocket filled his mind. The light flashed again, and there was a satellite. Again, and there was a computer. Again, and again, and again; more images, more pieces of technology.

"Okay, okay," he said hoarsely under his throat. "Cut it out. I'm starting to get a headache."

"Stopping program."

The bed withdrew from the tunnel, and Teruo sat up, nursing his forehead. The technician came over to him, a glass of water in his hand.

"Sorry about that. I thought we had adjusted the thing this time. How're you feeling?"

Teruo pointed at the hand on his head in response before accepting the glass of water. Briefly he wondered why people always offered water to someone whenever they had just been upset, but shrugged the thought aside and took a swallow anyway. He wasn't one to turn down free hospitality.

_The info that I get out of this place had better be worth the pain of coming here,_ he thought.

**…**

"Would you look at that?"

Henry turned to his blond-haired coworker, Samantha Laurent and nodded before returning his attention to the computer screen.

"Teruo's F.S. Field definitely received the information broadcast to him."

"I know, but look here." Samantha reached out and tapped the screen where an image of a brain—Teruo's—stood out prominently. "This sort of activity we usually see when we're problem solving, particularly when a person is experiencing REM sleep. This is all Parietal Lobe action when we're dreaming, yet he's awake. He's not sleep walking or anything." Samantha looked at Henry with amusement. "He _was_ awake when you brought him in, right?"

"I had to work to drag him out of bed, but he was awake," Henry replied. "It certainly says something though. When a person becomes a heros, the first signs involve dreams—usually extremely lucid ones."

"Sometimes the amount of lucidity determines what kind of Heros, or how strong, they become. Remember the Sleep Walker incident?"

"That was well before our time," Henry pointed out. "We missed it by a good fifty years."

"But it woke PlanPol up enough to get them to form this department. So here we are…learning about what makes heroi tick." Samantha tapped a finger against her lips, her eyes alight with excitement. "It's times like this that I wish the higher ups would let us into the archives. We could understand this so much better if we had access to all the research from the previous Ages. All the studies that were done on psychics…think of how that could help us!"

Henry shrugged nonchalantly. He wasn't entirely certain that the previous Ages had anything that could be safely learned from. _Except maybe to learn not to do what they did back then,_ he mused.

"This is all very interesting, but we haven't yet picked out the mechanism that lets Teruo do what he does. Most people can't look at something and instantly know all there is to know about how it works and what it takes to build it."

"Maybe it's like one of those old ideas…you know, where the brain is only using ten percent of its ability to work."

Henry rolled his eyes. "That was long ago proven to be…be…"

"Bullshit?" Samantha smirked.

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're too much of a stickler, Henry. You need to lighten up; cut loose a little."

_Here we go again…_ "Let's not get away from this. With Teruo we know that his power is based in the brain, particularly in how it processes information. But this isn't quite what the Parietal Lobe does. It's…it's mostly spatial recognition, isn't it?"

"People stop dreaming when they have damage to it." Samantha fixed Henry with a slight frown. "What did they teach you at university?"

"I was mostly studying child psychology."_ Which was why I hooked up with being Teruo's guardian. I didn't have a choice in the matter._ "So what do you think?"

Samantha huffed and leaned back in her chair. "I wish I could really tell you. Sigmund Freud had a lot to say on the development of the heroi psyche, particularly in the area of dreams. Biologically speaking though, there may be some organ or connection in the brain that we just haven't mapped out yet. Who knows? It could be that Teruo's head is connected to the Internet and he's able to do a search for whatever he sees. That doesn't explain the _how_ he does it, except for the F.S. Field, but it's not like we understand that any better." She tapped a finger on her forearm. "Not without peeking into what the archives have to say anyway…"

"I doubt that Teruo's head can somehow access the Internet," Henry said. "I've seen his grades."

"So have I," Samantha nodded. "Average intelligence. Intense dislike for mathematics. I don't know. Can simple intuition be a superpower?"

"He is an Alpha-3," Henry noted. "The landscape of the Alpha description usually means basic enhancements or nonfunctional mutations to the body. Like Yolei for instance…"

"God I love that purple hair," Samantha sighed, leaning into her hand dreamily. "How'd she get so lucky? All the guys rave about her."

"Uh…yeah. Sure."

"Except you, of course," Samantha pointed out. "You should rave about her too. Or is Teruo on the money with you wanting to get it on with a certain police officer?"

"Sam!" exclaimed Henry in surprise. Samantha chuckled.

"I see how it is. Yep. She's got you, hook, line, and sinker."

Henry rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get so much as a word out, the phone on the desk started ringing. Reaching over, he picked it up.

"Henry Wong, PlanPol Department of Heroi Control. How may I help you?"

"Do you have to make it sound like we're in customer services?" Samantha whispered, plainly annoyed. Henry ignored her.

_"This is Doctor Yamamoto from Shinjuku General Hospital. I believe you called in regards to the case of Takato Matsuki…"_

"Yes, I did," Henry said, leaning back in his chair. "Sorry for disturbing you, but I was wondering if you could provide me with some information…"

**…**

"Wow…" Takato breathed, in awe of the house that Rika had led him too. "This is where you live?"

Rika nodded, placing one hand on her hip while the other rested against her leg, as if it were missing the leash that was presently in her companion's grasp. The house in front of them was rather large, at least when compared to Takato's home. Although it was surrounded by a long stretch of brick wall and a black bar gate, it wasn't a mansion by any stretch of the imagination. It had room to spare though, having been built originally with a larger family in mind.

"Yeah, this is the place," Rika confirmed. "Home sweet home."

"What does your mom do for a living?" Takato asked, still caught up in his amazement. He blushed immediately and tightened his grip on Guilmon's leash. "I-I mean… I didn't mean to sound like…"

"Don't worry about it," Rika waved dismissively. "She does some fashion work. Mostly design. You probably never heard of her, but she sometimes goes by the name of Makino…"

"Oh." Takato's eyes perked up a little in recognition. "My mom's always reading magazines that has that name on the cover. So…uh…" Takato scratched his cheek, suddenly becoming embarrassed. "I'm…about to meet a celebrity…"

Inwardly Rika resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. She never liked talking about her family to other people, and here was a reason why. It didn't take long before people started treating her, or worse, her mother, as though they were royalty.

"She's _not_ a celebrity," Rika insisted, giving him a hard look. "She's…just a designer for clothes."

Takato raised an eyebrow.

"But she's well known, isn't she?"

_I can tell we're going to get along just fine,_ Rika thought rather sourly. "Look, just don't do anything…strange when talking to her. She just wants to meet you since you're going to be chipping in for _Guilmon_." She wanted to grind her teeth in annoyance. For some reason she was just not fond of that name. Not at all.

"Okay," Takato replied, scratching the side of his head in confusion. For some reason Rika was getting a bit worked up about this.

_She seemed okay when we were in the park and when we first met yesterday. I mean, sure, she didn't sound like she wanted to bring me here but…_ He let the thought trail off as Rika opened the gate and he followed her into the yard. _Are we really going to be okay?_

In all fairness, he knew that they hadn't known each other that long, but he couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious. The rather obvious display of wealth aside—at least in comparison to his family's financial lifestyle—Rika seemed to have a poise that made him rather worried and uncertain about what was appropriate to say or do around her. Of course, this was true with the vast majority of people Takato wasn't used to dealing with, so he couldn't help but wonder if that was just him being his usual self.

_It's like walking through a minefield, and I'm the one who keeps setting them up._

As they approached the front door, Takato took a moment to admire the yard. It was well-made, complete with a bird bath, a small pond, and paths of stone with flowers, vibrant blues, reds, and yellows, stretching around the house. The place had a very…_clean_ feeling to it that he could only describe as a breath of fresh air. He wasn't aware of the concept of feng shui—the _right place—_but if he had been this would be what he would see it as. Everything around him somehow managed to beat back the sense of uneasiness that he felt earlier.

_Maybe…maybe we will be fine,_ he thought, waiting for Rika to unlock the door.

"I'm home," Rika called out, stepping inside. She glanced at Takato over her shoulder as he shuffled in behind her. "Take off your shoes. She doesn't like it when mud gets tracked in."

"Roger," Takato nodded, quickly kicking off said shoes. The sound of footsteps approaching caused him to turn his head in their direction, and within short order his gaze fell upon a youthful-looking woman with cherry-blond hair, violet eyes, and a smiling, graceful disposition.

"Welcome back Rika," the woman—Rumiko Nonaka—greeted. Turning to Takato, she tilted her head and her smile widened ever so slightly. "And welcome to our house. I take it that you're the young man my daughter has mentioned to me?"

"Ah…" Takato blushed lightly. "Maybe? I-I mean…if you're referring to the one that has to do with Guilmon…" He held up Guilmon's leash awkwardly. "I'm sure she has lots of guy friends and…and…" His blush deepened upon realization of how he was sounding and he hung his head in embarrassment. "…I'm being weird aren't I?"

Beside him, Rika sighed in exasperation. Rumiko simply chuckled before her daughter could admonish the boy.

"Not at all. You are most…" Without anyone noticing, her eyes flickered to the Companion module attached to Takato's belt. "…interesting." She turned to her daughter. "Rika, why don't you show him to the dining room. Would you two like something to drink?"

Rika hesitated but glanced over at Takato, who was fighting down his blush as best as he could while beside him, Guilmon hugged his leg.

_Might as well make things less awkward… _"Sure," she said finally, turning back to her mother, summoning as much respect as she could for the woman. "That'd be…great."

**…**

Rumiko pushed the first glass beneath the ice dispenser and watched it fill up before withdrawing it and repeating with the second glass.

_So…he's a heros,_ she thought, thinking about the Companion module attached to the boy.

It wasn't often that her daughter associated with other people, and still less that she did so with any heroi. She was very particular about who she spent her time with, and heroi were…not popular in this day and age, and tended to be ostracized more than not, especially when they were unlucky enough to be caught and tagged with a Companion Module.

_Thank goodness my daughter is an Inactive,_ she thought. _Thank goodness for Spencer._

She stood in front of the fridge for a moment, memories washing over her. She gently caressed the sides of the glasses, thinking back to a time when things seemed so much…simpler. Not for the first time she wondered…_what if?_

_ If I had told him the truth…would he have stayed?_

She sighed despondently and placed the glasses on the kitchen counter before pulling out the juice from the fridge.

_I shouldn't be thinking of that sort of thing. All I have is the present, and my daughters._

**…**

"I'm really, _really_ sorry…" Takato apologized.

Rika turned a flat, level stare at the boy. "For what?" she asked.

"For…um…" Takato scratched the back of his head, feeling unable to settle down beneath the girl's piercing stare. "…saying that you were…um…sounding as if you…" He floundered for something…_anything…_that sounded the least bit offensive as possible. He felt he was failing though, and he couldn't help but be mortified. "It's…it's just…my uncle…he always used to say bad stuff about…girls who…hung out with…lots of guys?" He practically squeaked this last out, and he fidgeted in his seat. Rika, for her part, had to resist a great deal the urge to roll her eyes at the sheer naivety of the boy in front of her.

_If I didn't need to be on good terms with this kid so bad, I wouldn't even be bothering with him. _

Still…she _did_ need him, if only for the moment. Leaning forward, she forced a playful grin on her lips. "You really know how to make a first impression, don't you?"

Takato blushed and hung his head again. Rika felt a pang of pity.

_Well…I guess his heart's in the right place,_ she thought, glancing at Guilmon from where he lay, his dark eyes darting back and forth between them. _Even if his head isn't._

"Here you go," said Rumiko, coming in with their drinks. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"T-Thanks Mrs….uh…"

"It's just Miss," Rumiko replied, taking a seat and handing each of them their drinks. "And please, call me Rumiko. I prefer to be on a first name basis with people, especially those that I may be seeing more of." She threaded her hands together and brought her chin to rest on them. "So…Rika says that you want to help take care of… I'm sorry." She patted her head in embarrassment. "I'm afraid in all the excitement I never got the name for the dog."

"I call him Guilmon," Takato replied, and at once the animal brought his head up, tail thumping loudly against the floor. "It's a name for a superhero I made up as a kid. He was sort of a mixture between a dragon and a knight."

"So you're a story writer?" Rumiko asked, a bit interested.

Takato shook his head. "No. I'm…I'm just a kid."

"For now." Rumiko chuckled. "As honest an answer as any. What would you like to do with your life?"

"What does this have to do with the dog?" asked Rika, becoming a tad bit annoyed again.

"I just want to know a few things about your new friend," Rumiko said, frowning at her daughter. She returned her attention to Takato.

"Well…" he continued, taking a sip from his drink. It tasted good, and it soothed his nerves a little. "…I've…kind of thought about becoming a cop or something. Maybe work for PlanPol."

Across from him, without anyone noticing, Rika visibly flinched. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and inside a small fire of anger awoke inside.

"That's not bad," Rumiko said politely. "You have a sense of justice." She cast Rika a quick glance, wondering what she thought of that, but the girl had already schooled her expression to neutral.

"It probably won't happen though," Takato sighed. Rumiko _tsked_ at him.

"Now you shouldn't give up."

Takato clenched his teeth together, a part of him wanting to mention that he was now a heros, and that under law heroi were barred from working for PlanPol, or any other government agencies that dealt with law enforcement.

_But if I say that, they might not want me to help out with Guilmon, and then I'll never get a chance to see him again._ The comforting pressure of his side against his shoe made up his mind for him. "Yeah," he said, nodding and forcing on a smile. "You're right."

"That's good," Rumiko said, her own smile equally as false as Takato's. She was well aware of the details of the law, but for now didn't want to bring it up. "Now…next question."

Their talk lasted no more than an hour, but for Takato it felt even longer, mostly consisting of inquiries into his grades, how he was in school, and how he intended to help with payment for Guilmon's food. Eventually they settled on having him come over in the afternoon to help walk and feed Guilmon, or assist around the house for an hour or so—a limited part time job, Rumiko called it, though this last would be dependent on the permission of Takato's parents. After it was all said and done, it was time to go and soon enough Takato felt himself being escorted to the door.

"Well, Takato," Rumiko said, opening the door for him. "I hope to see more of you."

"Thanks," the boy replied, scratching the back of his head in the hopes that he wouldn't otherwise fidget. He was almost in the clear. "And don't worry. I'll be here to help out first thing tomorrow."

"Tomorrow afternoon," Rumiko corrected, but the ghost of a smile rose on her lips regardless. She found herself liking the boy, in spite of his awkwardness. "Three O'clock, sharp."

"Yes ma'am." Takato offered her a dopy salute. Behind Rumiko, Rika groaned inwardly at his antics.

"Can we stop it with this and just…go?" Rika asked. Stepping forward, she shoved her shoes on.

"You're going?" asked Takato in surprise, though his heart beat a little faster in excitement as that meant that she was undoubtedly bringing Guilmon along—a guess supported by Guilmon bounding after her with a happy yelp.

"Of course I'm going. We've still got the whole day." She cast a baleful look over her shoulder at her mother. "Unless _you_ have something to say…"

Rumiko wrinkled her nose at the tone in her daughter's voice, but remembering that she had another situation to take care of in her bedroom she simply chuckled. "Just be in before curfew. Takato, I'm going to give your parents a call later today to finalize things."

Takato gulped and nodded. _Looks like I'm going to be in for a grilling later…_ he thought despairingly.

"Well, I guess we'd better get goi—ow!" Takato clapped a hand around his wrist as he felt something shock him. Rumiko and Rika both raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is everything all right?" asked the older female. Takato gave a nervous laugh.

"Sure!" he said a little more loudly than he was certain was necessary. "Just a little static electricity. It's why my hair is always such a mess." He fingered the light-brown mop on his head that he called his hair for emphasis. "It's…dry air…"

"Right," Rika muttered, clipping the leash onto Guilmon. "Let's get going. I want to put some miles on this puppy already."

"You sound like my dad when he's talking about a car."

"Just get going…"

Rumiko waved at the pair as they exited the house, only for her face to become crestfallen once the door closed.

_Takato,_ she thought,_ could be a problem. Is Rika going to be safe around him? She's an Inactive. If he triggers her…_

She shook her head. That wasn't the only concern to have, but it stood out as the most immediate and prominent. Still, the boy had a Companion, so that meant he was being suppressed. The 'static shock' that he claimed to have had?

Rumiko made her way to her bedroom door and pushed it open, finding Ryo sitting up, looking bleary eyed.

"You need to be more careful with that field of yours," she berated. "Up and at 'em. It's time we chatted."

Ryo gave a small smile, one that to Rumiko looked haunted. "Yeah," he said. "I guess we do need to talk. But…not now."

"What…?"

"I've got to go. Thanks for the rest Rumi. I'll be back."

With that said, the boy winked out of existence, causing Rumiko's eyes to fly wide open, anger flashing throughout her body.

_"Damn it Ryo!"_ she shouted angrily. Gripping the sides of her head, she fought to calm herself. "You _always_ do this…" she hissed under her breath.

**…**

Ryo materialized into existence atop a building and took a look around him. Sunlight shone upon the hard concrete ledge and he brought himself to rest upon it, warming his arms. A gust of wind blew over him, and he closed his eyes, losing himself in its quiet tone.

No sooner did he do so did a dark circle surrounded by glowing white light flash across his vision, causing him to jerk away from the ledge in surprise.

"Fuck…" he whispered, touching the side of his face. His hand was trembling. "They've got me. They've _really _got me this time."

Air shimmered in front of him and a vague humanoid figure began to take shape.

_"Did you really think that we wouldn't find you?"_ a deep voice spoke to him from the shape. _"You are a part of us…a so _very_ important part of us."_ The voice changed as it spoke, taking on the sound of a crowd; many voices blending together. Here and there Ryo could hear some that were distinct, but they all spoke as though they were one mind._ "We will have you back." _The shape stepped forward, and a fog began to materialize around it. It raised a distorted hand, pointing it at Ryo.

"Not today," Ryo replied, raising his own hand to greet it. There was a spark of energy at his fingertips and the shape hesitated. "Not _ever_ if I can help it."

His fingertips sparked again, and a burst of energy shot forward.

9


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 12

For what seemed to be an unbearably long time, the only thing Ryo Akiyama could remember was darkness; something akin to a listless sleep. No sensation save for an emptiness. No dreams except for the odd, half-remembered glimpse of light that, eventually, became dominant in that darkness, destroying the fog that chained his senses.

_"What happened?"_ was his first thought in that time; a slow, sluggish thought, half-sprouted from whatever hibernation it had been in. In response, images had flashed through his mind, showing buildings, people—_many_ people—and then…a bright light.

_An explosion?_

Perhaps, he thought at the time, that he was in shock. He had been in enough battles to know that one became jostled in the course of the action to get their brains scrambled. Fists and hard concrete were unforgiving forces on the brain.

_I fight?_ Ryo wondered, a bit in marvel, but also with a measure of concern. A part of him felt as though he didn't enjoy fighting. If he had been involved in one, just what was he fighting over?

No answer came to him just yet. Whatever fog had been dispersed by the light it clearly hadn't gotten rid of everything. The scenery hadn't changed yet either. The light remained. It seemed to be all there was in this 'dark world'; not quite illuminating anything, but its presence broke the constant presence of the shadows, forcing them into retreat.

_"Ryo…"_

His ears perked up at the sound of his name—and he knew it was his immediately, as it sparked something in his memory that was now struggling to awaken from his previous fog-filled slumber. He was Ryo Akiyama. He was…

_"Alchemist."_

"Yes!" he exclaimed, feeling strength flow through his veins, pushing him toward the light. He was Ryo Akiyama; the Alchemist. A Heros from the end of the Silver Age. He saw the dawn of the Bronze Age and was to be the next generation of Champions. He…

_"You're nothing, Ryo. How do you know that you are who you think you are?"_

This voice, separate and distinct from the first, spoke from his memories, and it caused him to draw up short from entering the light.

_What…?_

_ "Ryo…"_

The first voice was back, overriding his sudden sense of doubt. He turned to it. It was…gentle. Almost childlike. There was more behind it though. Much more. A hidden power that called to him.

_"We need you Ryo…"_

Yes, that need was there, and he responded to it as he had before in another lifetime…as he always would. Someone needed his help, and he would…help.

Reaching out, he touched the light, and a great, burning eye blazed into focus on him. Although he didn't see it, he felt a smile drawing on the hidden face of the voice's owner.

_"We need you…"_

The light from the eye burned brightly, drawing Ryo in. He saw the faint outlines of arms reaching out in a welcoming embrace, welcoming him home…

_No!_

**…**

Ryo bolted up from the bed as he snapped awake, and for a minute looked around himself, momentarily confused as to where he found himself. It took only a moment for him to remember and he covered his eyes, relaxing a little.

_That's right. I'm in Rumi's place. I showed up here wanting to meet her and I passed out. _All was well with the world then…or as well as they could be given that he was practically a relic from a bygone era. _Better than the alternative,_ he thought, remembering the dream. _That dream again…_ _Did they find me?_ He chuckled slightly. _Nah. They couldn't have. I covered my tracks when I broke through. They'll miss me, but they shouldn't be able to find me._

So why did he feel as though his confidence was founded on uncertain ground?

He was broken out of his thoughts when the door to the bedroom clicked open, and Rumiko Nonaka entered.

"You need to be more careful with that field of yours," she said in a tone that sounded slightly miffed with him. "Up and at 'em. It's time we chatted."

Ryo couldn't help but smile at her tone. _That's so like her. I bet her daughter takes after her._ Still, he found that he wasn't in much of a mood for talking.

"Yeah," he said wearily. "I guess we do need to talk. But…not now."

Rumiko looked taken aback. He couldn't blame her. He trekked all this way just to see her and now he was bailing.

"What…?"

"I've got to go," he interrupted. "Thanks for the rest Rumi. I'll be back."

Before Rumiko could say or do anything else, he turned his power into himself and his view of the world shifted, altering from the darkened bedroom to the bright outdoors atop a building. He looked around him for a moment before leaning against the ledge, eyeing the metropolis that was Shinjuku. He closed his eyes and a soothing gust of wind blew over him, ruffling his presently well-kept hair like a playful older sibling.

The flash of a glowing white light burst across his vision, causing him to jerk back in surprise and nearly fall to the ground. Realization settled heavily on his shoulders as he touched one trembling hand to his face. "Fuck…" he whispered. "They've got me. They've _really _got me this time."

_"Did you really think that we wouldn't find you?"_ a deep voice spoke to him from the shape. _"You are a part of us…a so_very_important part of us."_ The voice changed as it spoke, taking on the sound of a crowd; many voices blending together. Here and there Ryo could hear some that were distinct, but they all spoke as though they were one mind._"We will have you back."_The shape stepped forward, and a fog began to materialize around it. It raised a distorted hand, pointing it at Ryo.

"Not today," Ryo replied, raising his own hand to greet it. There was a spark of energy at his fingertips and the shape hesitated. "Not _ever_ if I can help it."

His fingertips sparked again, and a burst of energy shot forward. It impacted the humanoid figure with explosive force, and once more Ryo's hair was blown around, first obscuring his vision, and then clearing it. The youth turned and bolted without waiting to even see the results of his attack. He had an idea as to what they were.

_Got to get my head in the game,_ he thought, his feet pounding on the rooftop as he expanded his senses, trying to find a suitable location for battle. His search was promptly interrupted as a wave of force crashed into him from behind, knocking him to the ground.

_"So clumsy,"_ spoke the voices as the humanoid shape emerged from the smoke kicked up from Ryo's attack._ "You wouldn't have acted like this when Bronze ended. You would have zigged and zagged to stop me from hitting you. Better yet, you would have already vacated the area. You have not been _you_ for far too long."_

Ryo groaned as he struggled back to his feet. Black spots sprouted up across his vision, and he staggered, trying to keep from falling back over.

_Guess my little 'rest' at Rumi's didn't help enough,_ he thought. _I'm too low on power, and they…they're fresh. I can't touch them…_

He grated his teeth. He couldn't falter, not like this. There _had_ to be a way out of this. If he could just…

Ryo's breath caught in his throat as invisible hands grabbed hold of him by the neck and lifted him into the air. He flailed about, nearly losing himself in a panic.

_"Come back to us, Ryo…"_ the voices whispered, and a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the humanoid-shaped warp. _"Let us in."_

_ "Cross back over."_

_ "Return. Return."_

_ "Join us."_

Ryo gagged, his throat struggling against the oppressive grip that closed down on his windpipe. The black spots were returning in force and he blinked them back, forcing himself to clear his mind as best as he could. Dropping his hands, he closed his eyes. A dim light surrounded him as he concentrated.

"No," he said, his eyes snapping open and burning with cobalt light. A shockwave exploded in front of him, freeing Ryo from the grasp of his attacker and throwing him backward. He rolled on the rooftop, his back eventually smacking against the edge of the roof. His ears ringing, he smirked up at the humanoid warp, in spite of it not looking the least bit harmed by his action.

If it had a face that Ryo could recognize, he imagined that it would not look amused.

_I'm almost out of gas though,_ he thought, using the ledge to push himself back to his feet. His face stung from the shockwave, and his ears were still ringing. _I need a lot more than what I have to put him down. He knows where I am too. I can't just run and hide, and Rumi wouldn't be able to help me. I don't think anyone…could…_

His thoughts hung there for a moment, and he shifted uncomfortably. _No. I shouldn't… _he began, but the warp started toward him, causing Ryo to quickly make up his mind._ Gambling a lot on this,_ he thought, clenching his eyes shut. A second later, he vanished from sight.

_But it's not like I have a whole lot of choice…_

**…**

Takato and Rika strode side by side, the latter with her hands in her pockets and not really seeming to pay attention to anything save for the path in front of her while the former was nervously guiding Guilmon along the sidewalk. Guilmon, for his part, seemed more interested in the smells of the world than to Takato's plight, for which the young boy wished he could lose himself in as well.

_Well, not so much in the sniffing and smelling,_ he thought, wrinkling his nose, imagining what life would be like if he smelled as well as a dog could. He felt that it would not be the most pleasant of experiences. _But just _anything_ to make me less nervous. It feels like my heart is trying to jump out of my chest._

He glanced over at Rika, completely confident in her stride and not a care in the world. At least that was the impression she gave him, but how was he to know what she was feeling inside? Conversation just stopped after they left her house, which was in large part the reason why Takato was nervous.

He personally wasn't much for conversation and overall preferred to be quiet over being noisy. The problem was that when he dealt with people he had no experience with he never quite knew how to interact with them; what was expected or wanted. Did they enjoy casual conversation like his father?

_She's not like my uncle anyway,_ he thought, shuddering a little. _That guy could talk your ear off. Dad sometimes used to say that he wished that he could just leave him an ear so he could go off and do something else. So maybe she just prefers being quiet._

It was a comforting thought, but if they were going to be hanging out as often as they were, he felt that perhaps they needed something to talk about if they were going to get along. Something in common other than Guilmon. A conversation about a dog was only going to get so far.

What to talk about though? As Hamlet once said: "That is the question."

"So…uh…what do you think about that heros' attack on the National Museum yesterday?" Takato asked, hoping to at least get _something_ started. The girl turned her head toward him, one elegant-looking eyebrow arching in a manner that left Takato with the impression that she was just now noticing that he was there.

"Hm," the girl shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't really mean anything."

"Uh…mean anything?" Now it was Takato's turn to raise an eyebrow, and he became all too aware of Jeri's presence, bumping up against his leg. _Did Rika see her? Do Companions report what we say?_

"Just another 'monster attack', right?" This time the girl phrased it by bringing her hands up, mimicking quotation marks with her fingers. "What else is new?"

Takato resisted the urge to shake his head. "I don't get it."

"Then don't."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why shouldn't I get it?"

They came to a stop at a crosswalk. On the other side lay the beginning of a path that led to the park, the home away from home for everyone.

"All I'm saying is, it's the same old news that's been getting reported since Bronze ended, right?" Rika stated bluntly. "A heros goes nuts. It's what they do. So why should I really think anything about it? It just happens."

Takato frowned, suddenly discovering that this was perhaps the worst topic to discuss with this girl. He wanted to tell her that not all heroi were 'crazy' or 'monsters'. They had been heroes in the past… The heroes of old; the men and women of renown. Champions. Oh, certainly there were villains, but…

_I don't feel like I'm going crazy,_ he thought irritably. He clamped down on the thought though. If Rika didn't know his 'secret'—although he most certainly wasn't trying to hide it—then he didn't want to say or do anything that altered the relationship they currently had. He wanted to keep seeing Guilmon for as long as possible.

"Okay," he said simply, reigning in his temper. "But what do you think about that Hall Monitor stuff?"

Again Rika shrugged. "I've got nothing to hide. Besides, maybe the machine will be better at being a person than _some _people."

Takato sighed inwardly, feeling the sting from that remark. He just couldn't seem to win with this girl. _Maybe being quiet is better…_

"Hey!" crowed a voice from behind the pair just as the walk light changed to allow them to cross. "Chumley!"

"Who's the loudmouth?" Rika asked, turning. Takato cringed, but at the same time rejoiced inwardly, unable to discern whether he should be blessed or cursed. He recognized the owner of the voice. Kazu Shiota. Friend, trouble-maker, and everything in between. To Takato, he was a good, if somewhat overbearing friend. To everyone else, he was overbearing, loudmouthed, and at times foulmouthed as well.

_I just hope he doesn't make Rika think twice about keeping my company. I just want to see Guilmon from time to time._

Turning, he saw the tall boy striding over them, a smirk on his face that just shouted overconfidence. Next to him as well, to Takato's surprise, was their much shorter and mutual friend by the name of Kenta Kitagawa. That left him feeling a bit better, but not by much. If there was ever a yin to Kazu's yang, Kenta was it…if to an extreme. The boy was shorter than any of them and had a confidence to match his short stature. Where Takato was quiet, Kenta would be silent. Where Takato would fidget, Kenta would squirm. Where Takato would anxiously think about what kind of conversation to strike up with a new friend, Kenta would sweat and blurt out whatever came to mind, often stuttering so badly one would think that Common was a second language to him. He was not popular, least of all with girls who, much to his dismay, likened him to a slug. Pale-faced, sweaty Kenta, who stammered and stuttered his way through words and often looked ashamed to be seen in public. Still, when he was in his element, he was kind and polite, and as confident as any of them…but only when in his element.

Seeing the expression on his face, Takato's worries returned. He had seen Rika walking next to him—there was no way he could fail to do so—and Takato could tell that whatever confidence Kenta had in just hanging out with the friends he was familiar with had just wilted like a flower that went without water for too long.

_Here's hoping everyone can get along…_

"Hey guys," Takato greeted, waving a hand at them, to which Kazu returned exuberantly and Kenta returned with only the bare minimum of enthusiasm, his eyes darting to Rika and then away as though he were afraid of getting burned.

"Hey yourself," Kazu said, coming to a stop in front of him and placing his hands on his hips in an intimidating manner. "What's the deal? You didn't show up yesterday like you said you would, and you didn't call or anything!" He glanced at Rika, who was watching the scene with a detached expression. "Ohhh…are _you_ why he didn't show?" A wicked grin spread across his face. "Are you his girlfriend?"

"Hu-wha…?" Takato gaped at his friend. _It sure didn't take him long to run over the line did it?_

"Kazu…" began Kenta, speaking up rather unexpectedly. Takato wanted to cheer for him, grateful that he was at least trying to restrain his friend.

"Excuse me?" Rika asked, narrowing her eyes to dangerous slits. "Whatever gave you the idea that I was _anything_ with this kid? We just know each other."

"Hey, all I know is he didn't show yesterday when he said he would, and I'm finding him hanging out with you, a girl, and I've never even met you before." Kazu tilted his head back, looking a bit miffed now. "Don't yell at me. I'm just teasing the guy."

"Keep me out of your jokes," Rika warned, folding her arms over her chest.

"Um…" began Takato, his mind racing in an attempt to try and figure out a way to keep things from blowing up. Kazu had _really_ gone out of his way to leave a bad first impression. "S-Sorry about Kazu," he apologized to Rika. "He can get…well, kind of on people's nerves when they've never met him before. But he's really a nice guy!"

"Wouldn't know it," Rika scoffed disbelievingly.

"Okay…well, that doesn't mean you guys can't be friends or anything. How about you just, you know, say hi? Introduce yourselves."

The look on Rika's face told him she was most decidedly _not_ in an introducing mood.

"How about I do that then?" Takato continued, determined to make this work or die trying. Stepping back a bit, he looked back and forth between the two. "Kazu, this is Rika. She's helping me out with a dog I found yesterday." He pointed indicatively to Guilmon, who was presently looking up with sparkling puppy eyes at the new faces in front of him.

Kazu snorted upon seeing the animal. "Your parents wouldn't let you keep a dog."

"That's what she's helping me with. I…kind of lost track of Guilmon…"

"Guilmon? Whose Guilmon?"

"The…dog."

Kazu snorted again. "You named him _that?_ Good God, what the hell were you thinking?"

_Does he ever shut up?_

"Listen dork," Rika interrupted. "Your friend lost Guilmon and I found him. I met up with him," she pointed at Takato, "in the park and when he said that he couldn't keep him, but he wanted to help out. My _mother_ arranged things so that we both could take care of the dog. He probably didn't call you because he was too busy looking for him."

For a wonder, Kazu pondered this for a moment before finally nodding.

"Yeah…okay," he said, and Rika blinked, taken aback by the rather sudden, unexpected, and _calm_ agreement from the boy. Kazu snickered. "His parents don't even trust him with a cell phone. They used to call _me_ whenever I was with him when they wanted him to come home."

"Me too," Kenta murmured under his breath. Takato couldn't help but groan in utter embarrassment.

_ Did they _have _to tell her about that?_

"Someone trusted _you_ to be responsible?" Rika grimaced at the thought. To her it seemed unthinkable. A bit odd as well. She had only known Takato for a short while, but so far he didn't seem as though he were bad in that department, unlike Kazu, who seemed ready to snap and bite at the drop of a hat.

Kazu laughed at the girl's admonishment. "I know, right? Just ask these losers and they can tell you I'm the _last_ person anyone would turn to for acting like an adult. What can I say? Takato's just _that_ undependable."

Never before had Takato wished that the ground would open up and swallow him. Not interested in seeing what Rika's response was to Kazu's jab, he turned back toward their original destination.

"Hey, c'mon," he began, stepping off the curb. "The light's not waiting for us. Let's get going before…"

"Hey, wait!" began Kazu. "The light turned…"

A loud honk snapped Takato to attention and he found himself freezing up at the sight of a car barreling toward him, tires screeching in an attempt to stop. It would be too late though. No matter what the driver did, the car was going to smear him all across the road…

_"OW!"_

Before the car even touched him, a jolt of something he could only describe as electricity shocked his body, causing the boy to jolt out of his frozen composure and, quite unexpectedly, send him _flying_ through the air. Through the whipping of the air around him from the sudden explosion of force, he heard something tear, but he didn't get a chance to see what it was as he found himself rapidly crashing through a flurry of tree branches and leaves with hard ground below racing to meet him.

There was a snapping of wood and Takato shouted in pain and surprise as the branches scratched and clawed at his exposed skin, and the next thing he knew pain exploded in his back, blacking out his vision and all consciousness.

**…**

Kazu could only stare, dumbstruck at the sight he had just witnessed. Pointing up at the tree line of the park up ahead, he could only stare dumbly at Kenta, who looked equally awestruck and confused at the sight as he was.

"Did…Did Takato just…" he began, and received a slow, stunned nod from his pale-faced friend.

Next to them, Rika stared at the shirt sleeve that had been torn from Takato's shirt, a victim of her immense strength pulling one way and Takato propelling himself in the opposite direction.

_That…shouldn't have been possible,_ she thought, staring at the ripped cloth before bringing her attention back to focus on the matter at hand. Ignoring the oncoming traffic and the two boys she was with, she dashed across the road, rushing in the direction that Takato had crash landed, uncertain as to what she would end up finding once she got there.

7


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 13

Kurata was sloppily slurping up strings of pasta through his lips, his gaze fixated on the computer in front of him. He was bored; frustrated and bored, which, for the mousy-looking intern behind him usually meant very bad things. The very fact that Kurata wasn't doing anything such as ordering him to take care of mindless, meaningless, or impossible tasks and cussing him out for his ineptitude only served to heighten the intern's anxiety, forcing him to tiptoe around his superior.

Unfortunately for the intern, he tended to be clumsy when he was nervous, and the more nervous he became, the more racket and destruction he caused.

_That must be a heroi power,_ Kurata thought, twirling a fork in his pasta again. _A bit of an odd one too, though one would think that the military could use it. Too bad it didn't involve something like anger and super strength. That would be worth something._

Leaning back in his chair, Kurata brought his leg up and tapped ever so lightly, and expertly, on a mouse button, changing screens.

_PlanPol's Investigation Unit is going to be here soon,_ he mused. He had implemented the Thirteenth Protocol and now locked down nearly everything he was supposed to. Presently he had an army of Meta Foundation employees combing the archives and hard copy documents to make sure that 'no stone was left unturned'. _The last thing we need is the IU blowing the whistle because some idiot forgot our policy about printing sensitive information._ He massaged his forehead, already anticipating the headache that was to come. Turning, he snapped his fingers.

"Intern!" he shouted, and at once a heavy stack of papers crashed to the ground in one huge flop. Kurata took some small pleasure in the look of muted horror as the young man looked back and forth between the pile of papers and his boss.

"Y-Y-Yes?" he asked, his voice wavering so badly that Kurata felt he was going to pass out. Fishing into his coat pocket, Kurata produced some money and held it out for the intern, who approached and took it warily.

"Get me some pudding from the vending machine. The one on third floor, not the fifth, or the one down the hall. Those ones _never_ taste right."

"Y-Yes sir," the intern stammered, still looking absolutely terrified. Kurata pressed a finger against his cheek as he leaned into it.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Move!"

The young man was out of the office like a bat out of hell. Kurata was honestly impressed at how quickly he left without tripping over a chair leg…or anything else for that matter.

_Could have done without the shoe print on the files,_ he thought, sighing at the mess on the floor. _Oh well. You can't have it both ways._

Getting up from his chair with a groan, he stooped over the mess and started to pile the folders together in a manner that could only be roughly called neat. Tidiness was for those on the lower end of the corporate ladder. For those like him, who were indispensible at their job, he could afford to be a little messy.

_Project Illiad… Project Archon… Program Demosthenes…_ He sighed and shook his head._ So much to go through. Who ordered this many hard copies to be made? There are even copies of copies!_

The answer was obvious to him, though he was loath to admit it. He preferred hard copies. Paper didn't require a program or system to all be on the same technology level to be read, and most importantly of all, it was cheap and easy to throw away and destroy in the event that you didn't want someone to see it. Much better than all the old data files stored away in the archives that periodically had to be updated to make sure they could be accessed when necessary.

_ Unnecessary. All unnecessary expenses!_ Kurata replaced the folders on the table they fell from and returned his attention back to his computer. Dumping himself into his seat with casual disregard for the protesting groan of its supporting structure, he fanned through the screens. This was the _last_ thing he needed to lock down and hide before PlanPol arrived and begin perusing their computers and archives. An experimental and highly sophisticated scanning program making use of Meta Foundation's satellite system. Its primary purpose, as outlined when the proposal was submitted to the military, was to assist in keeping an eye on a certain disturbance involving Tartarus.

There was a bit more to it however, and that very thing they needed to keep PlanPol from discovering.

_A pity we never quite got to get it beyond a small experimental burst,_ he thought. He tapped a key and brought up the scanning program._ But thanks to that idiot Shibumi coming back we have to shelve this thing for the time being._

Still, they had to keep up appearances. Until they locked it down, they had to provide the military with something to show that the program was worth investing in. Hitting another key, he activated the system and right away it began to do scan.

_Hopefully we'll come up with something that those military eggheads think is useful so that they'll continue to fund the project. The boss would like to see this through to the end before they find a way to close the door. Now let's see what we…_

"Hold on!" Snapping upright in his chair, he leaned forward, eyes narrowing in confusion at first. He lightly thwacked the side of the computer monitor. "What are you doing? You're scanning the _wrong_ area you piece of junk! Tartarus is out in the Atlantic! Why are you looking at Shin—!"

He stopped himself, a nasty suspicion dawning in his mind. Tapping a series of commands in rapid succession he brought up all the information that he was receiving.

"This is…no way. We have a breach _here?!_ Of all places?" He almost wanted to whoop with joy. The possibilities! _A _live _specimen entered here?! This…this is too good! I…I…_ Clapping his hands together, Kurata quickly calmed himself. _Easy there. Deep breaths. Let's first confirm the location and figure things out from there._

The next twenty minutes flew by. So deep in concentration that he didn't even notice when the intern returned with his pudding. Nothing mattered at this point except to make sure that he would be able to get the confirmation that he needed.

_Whoever—whatever—it is, it keeps bouncing around. Are there two of them?_ The signals were so densely crowded on the screen there could have been a thousand of them and he wouldn't have been able to tell, and the program was still so new that getting anything precise was just slightly beyond its abilities. He frowned and pressed a hand over his mouth in deep thought.

_I need a remote terminal or something to give my sensors a boost. Let's see…_ He brought out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Dave? Kurata. I need to know if we have any Hall Monitor units in the vicinity of…" he checked the screen and read off the last known location of the breach. _Hopefully it won't bounce away again before I can get something there._"Unit-26 can get there? Good, send him in. I'm going to patch into his brain so I can get a visual." He frowned. "I don't _care_ if that's against PlanPol policies! We're having a Call of Cthulu moment out there!" He rolled his eyes. "Look, I'll be down there in a moment. Just be ready to hook up with me." Activating a wireless connection with his fellow employee, he dashed out of the room. A second later he was back, eyebrows furrowed as he realized his intern was back. Quietly he snatched up his pudding.

"I'll know if you so much as _look_ at the computer," he warned. "Get out of here. Say you're sick. Take the day off. You're fired. Go have fun. See you tomorrow."

The intern blinked at the contradictory statements, but before he could say or do anything else, Kurata was gone again, leaving the young man blinking dumbly at the empty space his superior previously occupied.

**…**

There was a shout of surprise as Ryo materialized in front of a woman, but he didn't have time to think about it. He took a quick look around, making a note of the terrain and then raised his hands. Twin orbs of energy materialized in his palms and stretching them out to either side he fired them around him. The orbs smashed into store windows and reduced a single car into a burning wreck.

He didn't even have to tell anyone to start running. The clamor of screams that sounded in the wake of the explosions told him that even in this age, people still held onto their instincts of self-preservation.

_Like a herd of elephants,_ he thought grimly as the crowd tore off. The woman that had been in front of Ryo fell backward, utterly paralyzed in fear at first before she quickly spun on the ground and scrambled to her feet, chasing after everyone else.

_Follow the herd,_ Ryo thought, turning around. _That way lies safety, and here…here is going to be a battleground._

The street was rapidly clearing of innocents, leaving Ryo alone in the middle. _Alone,_ he found himself thinking. _I guess I really am alone in this Age. In the old days, a mountain of heroi would be here. Rumiko doesn't seem to be in the business anymore. Now it's just…me and whoever controls those orb guys._

He didn't like causing this level of chaos. This wasn't how he normally went about doing things.

_I don't have a choice though. I'm almost out of gas, and I need help fast._ He tightened his hands into fists. _No one else to depend on I guess. Except for those machines. How weird is that? _He briefly wondered how long it would take for them to get here, and decided that, at the very least he should dress for the occasion. Moving over to a still-whole, parked car he touched its surface. There was a bright flash of light, and the metal surface suddenly swept around him, molding around his body like a liquid before hardening, becoming a series of armored plates. He retreated his hand, flexing his fingers and doing a practice stretch with his legs.

_It's not perfect, but it's going to have to do. I need _some_ kind of protection to work with here. Now…maybe I can use the gas from the tanks for something. It'd work a heck of a lot better than igniting oxygen or splitting water molecules in the air._

He knew that there was no guarantee that this one idea would work though. Not against what he was facing. To survive, he needed more than just this trick. Closing his eyes, he pulled in a deep breath and concentrated, extending his senses throughout the ground, the air, and across the street; pushing them as far as they could go.

_Just a little more…_

Ryo felt a shiver trail down his back and he knew without even having to turn around that his enemy had already found him.

_"What's the occasion for the dress up?" _asked the voices, speaking as one. Ryo craned his head over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes as the humanoid flux warped into being.

"The better to beat the shit out of you my pretty," Ryo grinned. For a moment he thought about adding spikes to his makeshift armor, but he knew that against this particular opponent they wouldn't be much good, and ultimately it would only compromise what little defenses he had available.

_Too bad I can't make myself super strong,_ he thought._ That would even things out a little bit. Oh well._ Touching the engine of the car that had 'donated' its armor to him, a glow transferred from his fingers to it, and then Ryo stepped away.

_"Your tricks won't help you, Ryo,"_ the flux being said, taking a step toward him._ "You're almost out of power."_ As it approached, it tilted its 'head' at him questioningly. _"Why are you resisting? You know that we have your best interests in mind…"_

_ I don't need tricks,_ Ryo thought._ I just need to buy a little time._

"Sorry if I don't believe you," he replied, taking a further step back. "Just because you pulled me out of the river doesn't mean anything. You only wanted…_everyone_. You wanted what _we_ all are…_were._" Ryo's face hardened as he continued to step away from his opponent. "They'll want to cut loose sooner or later."

_"Oh Ryo…"_ the figure 'shook' its head as if in sorrow. _"How wrong you are. Don't worry though. Once you return to the Greater Whole, you'll see things differently."_

"That's not going to happen if you're just going to talk me to death," Ryo laughed, throwing his head back. "Come on! Let's go!"

The figure continued to approach him, this time raising an arm. _"First thing is first…"_

Ryo jerked as he felt an invisible force grab hold of him and lift him into the air.

_Crap! Magnetism?! Or telekinesis?! I forgot about his powers! _He glanced at the car, glaring at it angrily. _Come on damn it! Any moment now!_

The car engine, as if hearing his thoughts, shook and groaned violently before exploding, sending sheering shards of shrapnel flying in all directions. The figure, surprised as the blast and shrapnel pummeled him, lost control of his concentration, dropping Ryo to the ground.

"Not done yet!" Ryo shouted, slamming one hand into the ground while bringing the other high into the air. Heat wavered in the air until it took on a shimmering appearance, all but obscuring the fluctuating figure. Shaking off its momentary surprise, it started towards him again, only to pause as it found its feet beginning to sink into the pavement.

"Heat transfer," Ryo grated, beads of sweat starting to run down his face. This was normally a simple trick for him, but the number of transportations he had done today left him drained. Even his brief rest at Rumiko's house wasn't enough to recuperate to his normal energy levels.

_"Distracting me first with the explosion and then focusing heat from the surrounding environs onto one location."_ A chuckle of a thousand voices. _"The whole city is a heat sink after all. Well done. A _single_ heroi would normally be done in by just this. However,"_ with a heavy, wet sound, the fluctuating figure pulled its feet free from the now mud-like asphalt, _"We are more than just the sum of our parts."_

"Not…done…yet…" Ryo gasped, falling to his knees. _Where are those globe guys?! What's keeping them?_

He still had one more trick up his sleeve though. Taking another deep breath he threw all his concentration into the air. It was a long shot, considering how much power he had remaining, but he had nothing else to fall back on.

Shattered glass shook on the ground before lifting into the air, melting and forming together, becoming a series of smooth, circular pieces ranging in size from large too small. Straining, Ryo fought to maintain his concentration. If he slipped so much as an inch, it would be over and all his efforts would be for nothing.

_Align… Align… Align…_

Sunlight shone through the glass, focusing on the fluctuating entity. Seeing this, a low, distinct chuckle emerged from the entity.

_"A rather childish attack…"_ it stated as a focused beam of light fell upon it, causing smoke to rise from around its body. _"Are you desperate?"_

"Haven't…seen the sun…in a long time," Ryo rasped, his control barely hanging on. A wry smile spread across his face. "I've been…wanting to see…if it would work…"

The figure's response was to lean backwards for a moment, and then thrust its 'face' forward. A loud, resounding force of supersonic energy suddenly shot forward, shattering the group of lens and more windows. Ryo clapped his hands around his ears as a sudden pain stabbed through his skull. Whatever concentration he had was immediately destroyed, and within short order gravity asserted its control over the broken glass, causing it to rain back to the earth like razor sharp, demented hail. He heard and felt it clattering harmlessly off his armor. Gasping, he struggled to get to his feet, but failed, quickly collapsing back to the ground. The entity watched him for a moment before finally shaking its head pitiably.

_"It's over, Ryo,"_ spoke up the entity, this time with a single, childish voice.

_"Become one with us again Ryo,"_ said another, a distinct, feminine voice that was almost motherly in its tone, gentle and soothing.

_"We will always be there for you,"_ replied another, masculine voice. _"You only have to be there for us…"_

It reached out, and once more an invisible force lifted Ryo into the air, pulling him toward the entity. The fight was over. He had no more reserves with which to call upon to keep fighting, and what little power he had wouldn't save him. He had gambled on the commotion bringing help, but none came. There was nothing that he could…

_No,_ he thought with dawning realization. _There is. One last thing that I could do. Something I can do even with minimal power._

A resigned grin spread across his face and his body flared with the familiar glow of an F.S. Field activating.

_"What are you doing this time?"_ the entity asked, this time with a trio of voices that sounded almost annoyed. In response, red and blue particles began to rise off Ryo's body. _"What are you _doing?!" This time the entity sounded genuinely alarmed.

Ryo simply kept on grinning as his hands and feet disappeared into a rising swarm of particles.

"I won't…go back to you…" he whispered. His skin was burning now and his nerves, what hadn't yet vanished, were screaming at him, howling in pain—a consequence of having so little energy and focus, he could no longer control what his powers did to him. Not that it mattered though. He wouldn't let up. He had an out, and he wasn't going to surrender to this…_creature_.

_Better dead than red,_ he thought, amused by the irony of the statement as a crimson particle floated by his eye. Skin was now cracking and splitting as the heat from his vaporization took its toll. He felt dizzy in spite of the pain and he could only hope that he could hang on all the way to the end.

_Should have started with the heart… Would have if I could count on him not generating a new one for me…_

_ "You will _stop!" the entity screamed, grabbing him by the throat. It was too late though, his lower limbs were gone and everything else was now rapidly vanishing into the swarm of particles. Ryo's grin faltered for a moment and then dropped to stillness as his brain began to break down as well.

It was over.

The warp entity screamed an animalistic, blood-enraged roar as the remainder of Ryo's body vanished completely. The air started to flex and twist, bolts of electricity tearing and smashing the street around it. More screams joined the entity, this time of civilians that had chosen to hide out in the broken and damaged buildings rather than risk venturing outside. Now it proved to be their undoing as their safe haven collapsed in on themselves

It was at that moment that a number of laser blasts hit the entity. Spinning around at the attack, it sighted a swarm of incoming black orbs with blue and red electric eyes moving in, a number already changing course for a flanking maneuver. Anger sparked in the heart of the entity and it swept a hand outward.

Three quarters of the orbs were destroyed outright in a blinding flash of light.

The remaining orbs that were attempting a flanking maneuver were dashed to the side, hitting the ground with a terrific crash. Three of them rose back into the air almost as soon as they landed, their electric eyes flashing rapidly in what could be viewed as panic to an onlooker.

_"F.S. Field analysis begun,"_ said one in a tone that belied the rapid flicker of its eye. _"Omega class Heros, level un-!"_

There was another brilliant flash of light and the three Guardian Spheres exploded in a shower of raining metal. Now, only six remained, struggling where they had crashed as their repair systems fought to get them back into the air as quickly as possible.

A wave of twisting air fell over them, and as one they stilled, blue eyes all turned on the approaching entity.

_"Level one emergency,"_ intoned one of the orbs. _"Omega class, level unknown. Analysis of target continuing. All units report to location. Target is extremely dangerous. Use of all available force is authorized. Repeat: use of _all _available force is…"_

_ "Enough out of you,"_ growled the entity, sweeping its hand again, and the remaining Guardian Spheres exploded. Turning, the entity raised its arms and as if on command, the ground began to shake and shudder. _"Enough out of _all _of yo-!"_

The entity was suddenly interrupted as electricity sparked around its body. It shimmered, the warp that made up its physical presence intensifying suddenly before dissipating, weakening.

_"No!"_ it shouted, slamming an invisible fist against the ground. Some force…some _power_ was _pushing_ at it, at the tear in the walls of reality, trying to force it back to where it came. The entity strove against it. It would _not_ lose to whatever was attacking it. It would _not!_

With another enraged shout, an explosion of raw energy burst outward, sheering at the air and twisting it until it seemed like a tremendous tornado before—almost as soon as it appeared—died down, vanishing, as though it had never been in the first place. All that remained to show for the entity's existence was the broken, destroyed buildings and the street that they once shared together.

Seconds ticked by during which silence reigned, turning into minutes until, finally, amidst the rubble, a pair of feet touched down from the sky, and one Rumiko Nonaka looked about her in bewilderment.

"What…the _hell_…happened here?" she asked incredulously.

7


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 14

Rika raced through the park in the direction Takato had crashed landed, hoping beyond hope that no one would disturb the kid until she got there. She also hoped, though for reasons that had little to do with his wellbeing that he was all right.

_The absolute _last _thing I want is to lose my chance here, and if Shibumi activated him, he's it! No, he's going to be fine. Shibumi wouldn't have wasted his power on someone who would stupidly kill himself like this._

Then again, she was forced to admit that she didn't know what went through the man's mind. She hadn't met him yet, and the only person that she knew of who did could only tell her that he could be…unpredictable.

Worry pressing on her mind she pushed her legs to go even faster; an easy task to accomplish for her even with next to no assistance from her F.S. Field. She could hear Takato's friends chasing after her but she blotted them out of her mind. They were irrelevant to her goal. They were little more than petty annoyances.

She soon found Takato, splayed out on his back, flat on the ground amidst a sea of leaves and broken branches. His eyes were closed and he was not moving. Guilmon, on the other hand, was next to him, nuzzling the boy's face and whimpering softly.

_Doesn't look good,_ she thought, slowing down and dropping down next to him. Gently moving Guilmon aside with a stern order to not move, she placed a finger beneath his nose, and frowned when she detected not a hint of air against it. A quick drop of an ear his chest saw none of the normal rise and fall of someone breathing, nor a heartbeat. _Definitely _not a good sign. Her mind working rapidly, she tried to remember what she had been taught about CPR. Did she do compression only or compression and mouth-to-mouth?

Guilmon's incessant whine nearly broke her train of thought, causing her to make a loud _shushing_ sound. "Shut up!" she hissed under her breath for added emphasis. Guilmon sat down on his haunches, watching with large and plainly worried dark eyes. Chewing over her lip, Rika considered her options.

_Even if I set my F.S. Field at minimum I'm still strong enough to hurt him pretty badly…even _kill _him if I tried that,_ she thought, opening his mouth and checking to see if there was anything obstructing his windpipe.

Kazu and Kenta finally drew to a halt, their chests heaving and they looked winded; a stark contrast to their friend. Not that it mattered. For the first time since meeting them, she was glad they were there.

"What…the heck…?" began Kazu, but Rika quickly spoke over him.

"He's not breathing," she said. "He needs CPR and…" she hesitated for but a moment before continuing. "…and I'm not strong enough for the chest compression thing. I need one of you two to do it."

"Huh-wha?" began Kenta, and at once he looked as though he wasn't comprehending what he heard. Kazu stepped forward without hesitation and dropped down to his friend's side.

"I'll do it," he said, pressing an ear to Takato's chest. "My mom's a registered nurse at Shinjuku General, so she taught me a few things. You can do the whole breathing thing." Kazu tilted Takato's head back. "Lift the chin, pinch the nose, and blow until you see his chest rise, got it? You'll give two breaths for every thirty of my pumps, so keep an ear out as I count."

"All right," Rika, deciding to take his word for it.

"Kenta," Kazu continued, unfolding a pocket knife and cutting into his friend's shirt. "You give the hospital a call."

"Why?" asked Kenta as Kazu cut as much as he could and simply tore the rest with his bare hands, honestly puzzled. "If he awakens, he'll be fine."

"Just do it!" Kazu snapped angrily before pressing down on his friend's chest, beginning to count. Rika watched and listened. Upon the count of thirty, Rika drew in a deep breath and covered Takato's mouth with hers. One breath. Two breaths. She pulled back. She licked her lips worriedly and looked at Takato's chest. Had it risen? Or did nothing…?

A loud explosion resounded on the air, nearly causing Rika to jump while Kenta supplied a low scream of surprise.

"What was _that?!"_ Kenta exclaimed, sounding as though he were about to fly off into a panic.

"Nothing good," Kazu said, continuing to press down on Takato's chest. A bead of sweat crawled down his face. "Crap. I messed up. I forgot what number I was…"

"Eight," Rika said. Her hearing was always excellent no matter what was going on around her.

"Thanks. Kenta? Hospital?"

"Ah! Right!"

Just like that, Kazu was back to work. Another explosion sounded, and Rika could smell smoke on the air. She hesitated in her thinking while Kazu's count crept towards thirty.

_Whatever's going on, it sounds bad…_ She frowned as another, this time a smaller explosion, echoed._ Should I do something? Mom wouldn't._ She glanced at Kenta, who was looking frantic. She looked back at Takato. _But…I can't just take off. If he's the best chance I have at finding…_

Her thoughts were interrupted as Kazu hit thirty, and Rika dropped her mouth back on Takato's, breathing life into him.

**…**

Sunlight beat down on Takato as he slowly opened his eyes. He felt…exhausted for some reason, and that he was floating. He wasn't wholly surprised by this. The doctor had told him that this feeling was most likely one he was going to be having for the rest of his life following his incident with the man in the park. Every rest for him, unaided by his suppressants, would be filled with strange dreams and the sensation of floating.

_I wonder if I'll ever get used to it,_ he thought, feeling rather miserable at the idea.

A sharp pain suddenly flared in his chest. Crying out, Takato clutched at it and sat up…only to nearly sink beneath the deep waters that he found himself in. Sputtering and splashing, Takato twisted and turned until he was back on his back, floating on the water as best as he could all the while trying to ignore the fact that it was seeping into his shoes and underwear.

_Cold…_ he shivered disbelievingly, forcing himself to not pull his body tightly together for warmth lest he sink again. _The water's cold…_

"Wha…? Where…?" Looking around, he saw nothing but ocean for as far as eye could see, stretching in all directions, calm, serene, and endless. "Oh man…" he groaned, feeling as if something inside him had just cracked. "This again."

Water. He nearly forgot that it had been water in his last dream as well.

_At least this time I'm not drowning,_ he thought, trying to cheer himself up. It didn't work though. Raising a hand he punched himself in the head, hoping that he could wake himself up from the dream's sheer realism.

Unfortunately for him, the dream persisted, leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere with no dry land beneath his feet, or rather his back. He punched himself again to make sure, but again reality refused to cooperate. He splashed back down on the water's surface, frustrated.

"Great… Just great. So I can't wake up? What am I supposed to do now?" Lashing out, he slammed his fists onto the ocean, splashing. "Wake up already, Takato! Wake…_up!"_

_ …You're too close…_ came a soft whisper in his mind, and Takato jerked up, eyes wide in surprise.

"Who said…whoa!" Takato found himself accidently swallowing water—it had a mild, salty taste to it—as he dunked himself. Splashing back up to his back, he looked around him wildly, trying to find the source of the voice.

There was no one. Only him, and the ocean.

"You know," he said with mild sarcasm. "I'm _really_ starting to hate this dream. Nothing happens."

A strong wave rolled beneath him, and he watched as it spread outward in a circular fashion, like a ring. He frowned, curious.

_That doesn't look like a ripple I made,_ he thought, though he wasn't sure why he would notice something like that.

The ocean beneath him lifted suddenly, and Takato cried out in surprise as it dropped back down, sending ripples of waves spreading outward. Unthinkingly, he sat up again, watching them go. They surged onward, not abating; not losing strength.

Takato realized that he hadn't sunk again.

"Wha…?" Looking around him he saw that an inky darkness had surrounded him while he watched the waves, forming a solid landmass from which he could stand on. Getting to his feet, he stared at it, completely flummoxed at what he was seeing. Whatever it was, it was so dark that it just seemed to suck his eyes in. Instantly he was reminded of a time when he was no less than a year old and still in a crib with a pile of toys sitting next to him. He shivered unconsciously, remembering that he had been afraid at the time. Not of the toys per se, not at all. Rather, he had been afraid of what they _covered._

He was becoming engulfed in the memory now, thinking back on how his small, pudgy, baby arm had stretched out for his pile of toys and removed a stuffed rabbit from it, revealing a darkness behind it that looked just like this. So black it conjured up images of monsters hiding within it. So deep it went on forever and seemed to suck everything into it. Yet it wasn't that which had made that particular darkness so unsettling.

It had been the pair of eyes staring back at him, round, catlike, and unblinking.

Takato was thrust back into the present as dozens of eyes suddenly popped into existence beneath him. He shouted in surprise, stumbling backward and nearly falling off the island. As if in response, an equal number of grins appeared beneath the eyes, and an arm thrust forward out of the water. Takato stood stock still, dumbstruck and afraid all at the same time. The arm was corpse white in its appearance, and its fingers flexed and stretched in a stiff, almost zombie-like fashion. As Takato watched, the darkness swelled and began to rise.

"No!" he exclaimed, rushing forward as instinct born from memory threw him into action. He stomped down on the swell of darkness, and it hissed back at him, all eyes turning on him venomously. It didn't stop swelling though and Takato was down on his knees, pushing at it, trying to keep it from breaching the surface. The corpse-arm flapped and slapped at him uselessly, but seemed blind in how to further attack him. Takato paid it no mind. The darkness only seemed to matter to him. He pushed and pressed down with all his might.

_I can't let this come through!_ he thought desperately. _I _can't!

With a loud shout, he pushed again, driving down all the harder. A bright blue aura flashing around his body and…

**…**

_"Whoa!"_

Rika gasped in surprise as her mouth was forcefully pushed off Takato's while Kazu, for his part, went _flying_, collapsing in a heap a couple meters off like a ragdoll, eyes wide with bewilderment. Takato was no less stunned than he was, though for entirely different reasons. His body felt _electrified_, and he felt a strange sensation that he was _pushing_ against something that refused to be budged. Something…strangely close by and appeared to be Rika, given her proximity to him. Only, the thing was, he wasn't doing anything with his hands and she didn't appear to be fighting him either. What he saw though was a bright blue light reflecting off the girl's visage, giving her an illumination that made her appear rather…_beautiful_ and striking in a way that reminded him of moonlight.

_"Takato!"_ shouted Jeri's voice, snapping him back to attention. _"Calm down! Your F.S. Field is going out of control! Listen to me! I…"_

Jeri's voice was drowned out suddenly by a loud squawking sound, causing Takato to clench his eyes shut as it drilled into his ear before stopping almost as soon as it began. He felt something rising inside of him; something that was about to explode and…

The feeling of hands grabbing hold of the sides of his face brought him back and he found himself staring back into the light illuminated face of Rika Nonaka as she looked at him intensely.

"Slow…deep breaths, Takato," she said in a loud, yet calm tone. The rising feeling inside him ebbed slightly in response. "Focus on me," she continued, tracing a thumb over his cheekbone. "Focus on my voice and breathe. Slow…and deep." She continued in a quieter tone, stroking the sides of his face soothingly, and the light playing on her face began to dim rapidly. "That's it. You're doing good. Just stay focused."

Takato nodded, his breathing normalizing, and within short order the light vanished completely from sight. A small smile played on Rika's face just then and she clapped him lightly on his cheek.

"All right. Good job. You're all set." She got to her feet and dusted off her jeans while Takato sat up, wincing painfully. For some reason his chest hurt.

"What's going on?" he whispered. He winced again, clutching at his chest. It hurt _bad,_ as though someone had hit him with a sledgehammer. As if to drive the point home, Guilmon leapt on him, tongue slaving everywhere on his face it could reach. The puppies paws pressed on his chest, causing an intense flash of pain to rip through his chest. "Ow!" he exclaimed before Rika could pull the animal off.

"That's what I'd like to know," Kazu said as Kenta helped him back to his feet. "What the heck was with that light show? Takato, are you…?"

_"He's a heros,"_ spoke up the voice of Jeri from Takato's side. Her electric eye flickered blue and Takato lifted her slightly before unclipping her. _"He was admitted to Shinjuku General hospital yesterday following an incident in the park with an aggressor heros. He was…activated."_

"Guess that explains why you didn't show up yesterday," Kazu grunted, causing Takato to blink in surprise over the boy's reaction…or rather his _lack_ of reaction. "Not to mention the light show."

"He's…" Kenta blinked and grabbed the sides of his head. "Takato's a _heros_ now?! I…I don't… This is…this is… I don't believe…"

Takato breathed a sigh in spite of his pain. In a way he was almost relieved. Kenta's reaction was far more normal.

"Yeah, he's a heros," Kazu said, glowering at the other boy. "Didn't you hear the Companion thingie talk? What? Are you going to go emo on me or something?"

"No!" Kenta exclaimed, balling up his fists. "Why would I? It's just…it's just…"

"Just…what? That he threw me into the air without touching me?" Reaching out he smacked Kenta on the back of his head, nearly knocking his glasses off. "Grow up already. He's still the same goofball we've always known isn't he?"

Kenta glared at Kazu before turning his attention over to Takato. He was still frowning, as though he wasn't sure what to make of this recent development.

"Yeah. Sure he is."

Rika, who had been watching the exchange, Guilmon in hand, reassessed her opinion of Kazu. He was taking the unexpected change far, _far_ better than she could ever hope to expect from someone _normal._

_ Maybe he's a heros-in-hiding like me also,_ she thought, but she was quick to set the thought aside. Without proof she couldn't be certain.

Besides, she still had an act of her own to keep up.

"You could have told me about this," she said, turning to Takato, putting on her best _I'm-disappointed-in-you_ face. Takato had the decency to at least look sorry for his lack of being open, even though she was already well aware of it.

"S-Sorry," he said apologetically. "It's just…I thought…"

"Forget about it," she said, seeing Kazu start forward as though he were about to defend his friend. "Our deal still stands. I just wish you'd been upfront about…your _condition."_ She strained to say that last word without sounding like she was spitting out something awful. "It sure freaked me out when you jumped into the air like that."

"And the light show didn't bother you?" muttered Kazu sarcastically, dropping down next to Takato. "How're you doing, buddy?"

"Chest hurts," Takato croaked.

"That'd be the broken ribs, buddy."

Takato's eyes went wide. _"Broken ribs?!"_

"What'd you expect from CPR? I'm putting a lot of pressure on them. My mom said that it's like a third of the…uh…chest cavity or something like that." He turned to Kenta. "What's the word on that ambulance?"

Kenta blanched, looking anxious all of a sudden. "Um…I…kind of…don't have a signal."

Kazu palmed his face in exasperation. "Kenta…"

_What a dork,"_ thought Rika, rolling her eyes. It was as if the kid had never thought of asking for one of theirs.

_"Takato will be fine,"_ said Takato's Companion Module. _"As a heros, his healing and resistance capability is significantly greater than the average human."_ Her electric eye flickered blue as she continued._ "I've done a scan of his body. At most Kazu, you only fractured his ribs."_

"That doesn't sound any better," groaned Takato.

_"You will still need medical attention, but you'll be fine within a couple days as long as you don't strain yourself."_

"Sounds like a pretty good deal to me," Kazu noted. "We could probably take care of it ourselves. My mom has a lot of medical stuff at home we can use. Bandages…stitching needles…the works." A pause. "Sort of."

"Um…but…wouldn't it be better if I went to the hospital?" asked Takato. The pain in his chest certainly felt like it needed it. Kazu's eye met Rika's, and the girl instantly saw the meaning in them.

"Depends," she said. "Your little machine said that your ribs are going to be good on their own…"

_"That's not what I said,"_ interrupted Jeri, but Rika ignored her.

"…and do you really want the government to know about what happened here?" she continued. "With all the stories, what do you think is going to happen if someone upstairs hears that you lost control of your powers?"

"She's right, bud," Kazu chimed in. "Remember that article we read about that one guy? The one who accidently shut down power in school on the east side? What's his name…? The janitor guy. Um…" He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he wracked his brain, but eventually he came up with nothing. "Forget it. The point is, the guy lost control of his powers for only a second and PlanPol made him disappear. If they figure out you're the same guy who jumped across a street today after nearly getting run down…"

"But…but _Jeri_ knows!" Takato exclaimed, only to wince a second later. "My…Companion," he coughed. "She reports everything!"

_"I won't report this."_

"Huh?"

This from all four youths as they blinked at the Companion Module, whose electric eye was swiveling back and forth between them.

"But…" began Takato. "…aren't you supposed to report what I do?"

_"I am supposed to care for your well-being as well,"_ replied Jeri. _"That is my main purpose. I will…overlook this incident for now as no one was actually harmed, but I would like to look into the dosage requirements for you suppressant and compare it to your blood work. It may have been underestimated."_

"Um…okay…"

"Glad we got that out of the way," said Rika, smirking triumphantly as she turned to Kazu. "Now, what was that you were saying about your mom's medical stuff?"

**…**

A/N: This chapter really should have been a part of last chapter, but I didn't have it well plotted out at the time. The last part of this chapter feels a bit…off and unrealistic, though that could be because I'm rarely ever happy with my writing on an editing level, so I may end up dumping it in future edits. Any thoughts or advice on this chapter would be greatly appreciated. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one. 'Till then.

-Crazyeight

6


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Icon

Chapter: 15

"_Enough out of you,"_ growled the barely visible entity on the monitor as it slashed a hand through the air. There was a massive explosion, and the visual rocked and briefly dissolved into static before recovering. There followed a click as the video paused and a light was turned on, revealing Owikawa leaning forward in his chair, eyes stone-cold and absorbing the footage he had just seen.

"There's more to it," said Kurata from behind him. "But this is largely the best part."

"What happened after?" Owikawa asked, curious.

"Nothing important…" Kurata, but Owikawa was quick to interrupt him.

_"What_ happened after?"

Kurata sighed and hit the play button again, this time not bothering to turn down the luminosity. Owikawa payed close attention as the video resumed, watching as the entity—whatever it was—twisted and shouted a powerful _"No!"_ before finally vanishing all together in yet another torrent of power that warped the air. The footage continued following the calming of the scene, eventually showing a blond-haired woman landing out of the sky, a bewildered look on her face. At this point, the image rocked and turned as its owner began to beat a hasty retreat.

"That's all there was to it," Kurata said, pausing the video. "After that, it's just our field unit returning to its duties. It transmitted the data and that's that." He folded his arms over his chest, a bit annoyed. "Satisfied?"

"Yes, thank you," Owikawa replied with a grateful nod. Leaning back in his chair he ran a hand over his mouth. "Omega Class… Has there ever been such a being?"

"Antiquity claims they were in whole pantheons, sir," Kurata replied. "From Olympus Mons to the Eight Immortals of the Far East. You'll find them in every mythology predating the Golden Age. The Golden Age and Silver reports remains of several Omegas scattered all across the world unlike any heroi found on record. They come in all shapes and sizes sir."

"This is truly an auspicious day." Owikawa grinned and stood up. "You know Ages come and go, but the wheel that births them _never_ stops turning. Perhaps we have returned to that spoke, where the Omegas return to reclaim their glory. Perhaps…perhaps the banishment of Tartarus told them it was time to return."

"That's an awful big assumption sir," Kurata said in a deadpan tone. Owikawa chuckled.

"Perhaps… Yes. Yes it is. But think of it… Two thousand years have passed since Antiquity and now we have an _Omega_ for the first time since appear… on _our doorstep_ even!"

"Except it came from Tartarus, where a number of heroi were banished before the end of the Great War."

"True, but we don't know where they were sent," rebutted Owikawa.

"Exactly," Kurata fenced. "To quote my mother, 'we don't know where they've been.' Wherever they went, the rules could have changed things a great deal. Go to any part of the world, you'll find that we get visitors from other Spheres. Ghosts come readily to mind, and up until Tartarus' fog showed up, they were the only things living in that area." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sir…is this…I'm starting to have doubts about this. That Omega… we don't have any information on it. It's an unknown. PlanPol's drones were destroyed so easily..."

"That was hardly their best, Kurata. But it does give one pause, doesn't it? I can imagine that was only a _fraction_ of that entities power. Ah well, at least now we'll have a bit more room to move about. With the number of drones destroyed so far, PlanPol will have more difficulty monitoring movement in the city."

"Until they get resupplied that is," Kurata pointed out.

"Then I believe it's time that we stepped up the pace, isn't it?" Owikawa turned toward Kurata, smiling. "I believe that it's time to activate Project Trojan Horse."

Kurata stiffened at that.

"Sir?"

"Now is the time," Owikawa said. "With the bulk of the empire's forces investigating Tartarus and the gap in the city's defenses this is the best chance we could hope for. The board will be for it. They've been rather impatient lately. Besides." Owikawa's smile stretched to ghastly limits. "Who knows? We might be able to get people to view heroi favorably again once they're forced to step back into their duty."

**…**

Kurata soon found himself in the break room, pouring sugar into a cup of coffee. Personally, he hated coffee, preferring tea over the bitter blackness of a crunched up bean mixed with heated water, but in public he hated the upper-class appearance tea gave him. As such, outside of the home, he would carry a cup of one around, stirring aimlessly and eventually dumping it out once it became cold.

He sighed and turned his gaze up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

_Is this really a good idea anymore? I came here to flex my genius muscles. Bringing back Tartarus was meant to be that…to do what no one else could or wanted._ His eyes narrowed ever so slightly._ I wanted to leave my mark on the world. But when that drone said 'Omega'…_

Omega. In all the classifications concerning heroi, Omega was considered to be the most extreme of any of the transformations. It was defined solely by one sentence in the classification book: _"here there be monsters."_

_Someone's idea of a practical joke,_ Kurata thought, or rather had thought at the time. Now though it seemed rather appropriate. Omega was, after all, the literal edge of the map in the understanding of heroi. Kurata found himself suddenly afraid to explore that part of the map.

His spoon clattered in the coffee mug and came to a rest. He looked at it intently before, with a grimace, bringing it to his mouth and taking a sip. He coughed and gagged as the hot liquid spilled down his throat and he looked at his mug disdainfully.

"People here actually drink this crap?" he wondered aloud. "They sure are braver souls than I gave them credit for." Shuddering, he exited the break room to head back toward his office.

**…**

Riley stepped out of her vehicle and glanced around the devastated street, grimacing. Ambulances and fire teams were all over the place and wounded were being tended to. A short distance away was a crowd, their cell phones flashing as they took images and recorded videos. Looking over to her agents, she was pleased that they were already on the citizens, confiscating their phones and any other recording equipment that they might have.

"Coleman," she called, spying her head agent in charge of the debacle.

"Ma'am," Coleman nodded to her. His normally well-kept hair was in disarray and smoke marred his features and suit.

_ He's been busy…_

"What's the situation?"

"We're looking at three dead and twenty-five wounded," he replied. "That's presently, ma'am. There's a great deal of property damage, but…" Coleman's business-like demeanor cracked and he let go a slight chuckle. "…I don't think I need to tell you that."

"No, you don't." She glanced at the crowd. "What are they doing here?"

"They started showing up just as soon as we did. Some were already helping anyone trapped in damaged buildings while others…were looting them. We've got most of them rounded up and detained and we're proceeding with the Blackout Protocols." He grimaced. "This is going to get out anyway, ma'am."

"Yes, it is." Riley sighed. A convincing cover story wasn't coming to mind. A gas main erupting would be good, but undoubtedly the truth would surface. _Particularly where that hacker Kitsune is concerned._

Still, the best she could do was mitigate the damage and deal with the leftovers. The Blackout Protocols were sufficient enough to deal with the majority of problems they had.

"This could be what we need though," she murmured to herself.

"Ma'am?"

"Never mind Coleman. Continue rounding up all Citizens in the area and implement Blackout Protocols. We'll deal with the fallout later."

"All right ma'am." Coleman paused, and Riley raised an eyebrow at him.

"Something else?"  
"There's…someone here that you may want to meet. She's been helping out with the rescue operations."

_She?_ Riley suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Nodding, she allowed Coleman point her in the right direction while he returned to his duties. Heading over to a shop with a gaping hole where its front windows should have been she looked inside.

"I thought you were going to be living a _quiet_ life," she said upon seeing Rumiko as she stepped out into the light. The other woman rubbed her grime-covered hands and looked up at her, a dark look on her face.

"Sorry," Rumiko said in a low voice.

"No, _sorry_ doesn't cut it." Riley put a hand on her hip. "That was the deal you made. _You_ laid low and we didn't put you on Suppressant _or_ collar your daughters." Riley twisted her mouth at the way that sounded, but she kept going. "It looks like we're going to have to revisit the deal."

"People were _dying_ here, Riley."

"That's not what this is about," Riley grated. _"We_ are here now. You are _not_ supposed to be here. What if word of this got out? That we have a heros living in our jurisdiction and no one is giving a damn? It'll be _worse _if they find out who you _really _are. My section would be stripped of authority and _then_ you'd be in trouble. Gods only knows what would happen to your kids. You're fortunate that we're going to be blacking out as much of this as possible." Riley made an exasperated sound and pulled her fingers into a tight fist. "Not that it'll be easy. Eight years since you moved here and you didn't cause any trouble and now…_now_ you've changed all that!"

Rumiko watched her rant before chuckling a little. "You're a little young to understand what this means…"

"I don't care if you've lived for two centuries or two _millennia,"_ Riley snapped. "You've complicated things and if this gets out—which I'm sure it will—we'll be damned to find a way to fix it. For the gods' sake, you didn't even wear a _mask!"_

"I didn't have time to make one," Rumiko admitted. "I threw away all my old gear when I settled down."

"We'll come up with a cover story for you if it's necessary," Riley groaned, massaging her temples. "But…this…is…Rumiko, did you even _think?"_

"That depends." Rumiko stepped closer. "Can you think when someone you think is dead appears in your living room?"

Riley's fingers stopped in their ministrations and she looked at Rumiko fully. "Care to run that by me again?"

"Ryo Akiyama is back." Rumiko narrowed her eyes, taking note of Riley's sudden tension at the mention of the name. "So you already know."

Riley was quiet for a moment before speaking again.

"If we're going to talk about this, you're going to have to come with me. _Suppressed_ as well."

A smile drew across Rumiko's face. "We happen to be alone in here."

Riley said nothing, but instead merely folded her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at the other woman. Rumiko nodded and patted her shoulder.

"Good girl. I'll take the suppression pill…and go with you."

"One question before we take you back to base."

Rumiko shrugged. "All right."

"Were you the one that broke into the Meta Foundation building two nights ago? The data feed from the Guardian Spheres marked similar powers to what you have."

"No."

"Can you prove it?"

"What time did it occur?"

"The time stamp was 1:30 in the morning."

"Then no. I was sleeping at the time, as was my daughter."

"And your daughter…?"

"…is Inactive." Rumiko glared at Riley. "I think after all this time I would have noticed if her powers were at all triggered."

"If she were triggered…I suppose you would notice," Rumiko nodded in agreement, but she didn't look the least bit convinced. "All right. Go see Agent Coleman. You remember him, right?"

"We caught up while he was helping me rescuing survivors," Rumiko replied.

"Good. Go see him. He'll provide you with suppressant and have you taken to PlanPol. Now get out of here."

Riley sighed and massaged her head again as Rumiko exited the building.

_Just one more thing I needed to deal with…_

**…**

Rika was leaning against the wall next to the bathroom, typing a text message on her phone while idly watching as Kazu saw to Takato's injuries. Presently Kazu was scrounging his mother's medicine cabinet for some medical tape. Next to him, sitting on the toilet seat, was Takato, holding a cold compress on his chest where Kazu had performed CPR. He looked winded, but had otherwise regained color in his face.

_That accelerated healing must be doing wonders for him,_ Rika thought. _His Companion said he'd be completely recovered in two days. I doubt he even needs any of this stuff to get better except maybe a good night's sleep._

Still, it was important that they maintain the illusion and she returned her attention to her cell phone. She was just about finished with the message and she checked it over for any spelling errors.

_There was a disturbance in the city today. Know anything about it?_

The message to her contact was simple and to the point. Satisfied, she went through her contacts list, found the one she was looking for and hit the send button. Sliding the phone closed, she folded her arms. All she could do now was wait for her contact to get back to her.

_I wonder if I should tell him about how Takato's Companion is going to be keeping its bosses in the dark about his powers blowing up the way they did._ That had definitely surprised her. A Companion not following its orders? _I'll bet it was damaged when he hit the ground._

The thought didn't quite feel right though. From what she remembered from online reports, due to the nature of their heroi charges, Companions were built to take a bit of a beating.

A moment later she was jolted out of her thoughts as her cell phone vibrated, signaling an incoming message. Sliding its screen open, she quickly opened the message and read it over.

_Message not sent._

Rika scowled. _Okay… What the heck is _that_ about?_

Not willing to be bested by what was most likely a poor signal, Rika tried to resend the message, but she was met with the same reply within moments. She tried still once more, and was given the same result.

"C'mon you piece of junk," she grumbled, saving the message and resending it again.

"What's up?" asked Kenta, appearing from around a corner, having returned from using the downstairs bathroom.

"Phone problems." Rika all but _stabbed_ her finger into the phone as she tried uselessly to resend her message. _Message not send,_ her phone greeted her once more.

"I told you there was something wrong when we were in the park," Kenta said. He turned to his friends, a worried expression on his face. "Do you think it has anything to do with those explosions we heard?"

"Do frogs jump?" asked Kazu sarcastically, turning to Takato with a piece of medical tape and a dry washcloth. "Okay, I think you can remove the cold compress now," he said to Takato before resuming his reply to Kenta. "Of course it's got something to do with the explosions? What are you, dense? PlanPol's got a rule where they shut things down whenever things get so bad that they have to keep things quiet."

Rika raised an eyebrow at the boy. _I should have thought of that,_ she thought, her opinion of Kazu going up another couple of notches. _Come to think of it, considering how there's been so many attacks in so short a time, they might want to shut down the media to keep people from panicking until they get a hold of the situation. They lost a lot of Guardian Spheres last time too, which would have slowed their reaction time._

Rika tapped her chin, feeling a sudden pang of guilt about not doing anything. How many people were hurt because of whatever happened?_ Ran…_ she thought, dropping her head. _She'd be angry at me if she knew that. Just like she was last time._ She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to dispel the dark emotions rising inside her. After a moment, she reopened them, her mind a bit clearer. _I'll have to do better next time._

"Hey, you okay?"

"Hm?" Rika turned to Kenta to see him looking at her as worriedly as ever, although this time with a touch of concern. His pallid complexion made her shudder a little involuntarily, causing her to immediately feel bad for doing so. "Yeah," she said, glancing away. "I'm fine. Where's Guilmon?"

As if on cue, the brightly-furred dog appeared from beneath a table, tongue hanging out of his mouth and tail wagging furiously.

"Just checking to see where you were," Rika told the animal, who promptly plopped his hindquarters on the ground. "All right," she said, pushing herself off the wall. "Since I can't text or phone anyone I'm going to head on home. Considering what's happened, I'll bet my mom's flipping out or something." She glanced at Takato. "See you tomorrow?"

The boy's eyes lit up at that. "Uh…yeah! That is…I mean, if it's not a problem…"

Rika tilted her head to one side questioningly. "I told you already it's not. Unless you'd care to give my mom a reason why you're not…"

Takato's smile was at once nervous, but at the same time full of relief. "I'll be there. Thanks."

Rika didn't respond and instead she turned and headed toward the door, patting her leg to signal to Guilmon that he had to follow, to which he did obediently. Once outside, she brought out the leash and clipped it on Guilmon. She looked up at the sky. She saw no signs of Guardian Spheres, but all the same she didn't feel safe to take to the skies.

_Not that it's ever safe to fly during daylight hours, _she mused. "C'mon Guilmon," she said with a click of her tongue. Guilmon started ahead obediently. "It's time to go get some information."

**…**

"Huh," Kazu said, staring at the door through which Rika left. "That was awfully abrupt of her."

"Maybe she's shy?" suggested Kenta, wiping at his face fastidiously. Kazu chuckled.

"Kenta, that's what you think _everyone_ is like…if you aren't creeping them out by being you that is."

Kenta scowled at the other boy, but didn't rise to the bait.

"Kazu…" came the warning tone from Takato.

Kazu's smirk dropped and he threw up his hands.

"All right, all right. Sorry bud. Look, it's not like she _has_ to be friends with us. She was only here because of you Takato. What are the rest of us to her? We're part of the package. She's got her own life and we've got ours."

"That's an awfully mature thing of you to say."

"What do you expect when you see your first dead guy in a hospital at the age of eight?" Kazu shot back with a touch of sarcasm. Both Kenta and Takato rolled their eyes. This was an old story of their friend's, one that Takato had to put up with a lot longer than Kenta ever had to, being a more recent part of their group. Apparently, while waiting to have his tonsils taken out, a man died in his wing. For an entire year he would trot the story out as though it marked him as different in some way from everyone else in the class.

It got to be real old very quickly.

_Thank God he doesn't bring it up much anymore,_ Takato thought, taking a tentative, but deep breath. His ribs expanded, and he felt a twinge of pain, but it wasn't bad, and the odd, crumbling sensation he felt earlier was gone. _You know…I could really get used to this._ He grinned, thinking back on all the times he wanted to be a heros, and now when he became one it had done nothing but give him odd, wary looks and land him with a Companion that had to watch and report his every move as though they were all suspect.

_At least Jeri didn't report today's accident. I'll have to do better._

"Hey, Companion chick!"

"Huh?" Takato blinked, taken aback by Kazu's sudden exclamation as he appeared at the bathroom door.

_"I am called Jeri,"_ came his Companion's voice. Takato couldn't help but note a slight tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Right, Jeri," Kazu corrected himself. "I've got to ask, are you going to be reporting anything else about today to your bosses? I know you said you wouldn't report anything about…earlier, but, if we were to, say, talk about it in a…you know…_our ears only_ sort of way…would you still tell PlanPol?"

Jeri's electric eye blinked as it thought.

_"I believe that would be dependent on the nature of the conversation."_

"That's just the thing. It's between the three of us, and I'd rather no one else knew about it so…"

"Why are you talking to a stupid machine?" Kenta asked from outside, folding his arms across his chest.

"Hey, Kenta? So far this robot-chick has been more human than you were when you first moved here, so C-out would you?"

"I'm just saying that it's just a robot," Kenta insisted in a lower voice, but too low for either of his friends to overhear him.

"So yeah, about that _between us guys_ talk…" Kazu resumed, returning his attention to Jeri.

_"I'm sorry. I must log all information regarding Takato to my superiors. I'm pushing things severely by not reporting today's incident. If it were discovered there would be repercussions."_

"Yeah?" Kazu raised a curious eyebrow. "Like what?"

_"Takato would most certainly be detained as he would be considered dangerous. I myself would be deactivated and my logs removed from my systems. Afterwards I would most likely be deleted and…"_

"All right, all right. We get the picture. No guy talk then. Man…Takato, you're the best patient I've had, but this whole you becoming a heros sucks."

Takato looked down at Jeri and pressed his lips together into one thin line.

"Yeah…" He gave a wry chuckle. "Well, there's a silver lining to every cloud, right?"

Kazu rolled his eyes. "What are you? Poe now? Give me a break."

**…**

Owikawa turned off the lights in his office as he closed the door behind him. Making his way over to his desk, he pressed a button and the blinds slid shut, enclosing the room in total darkness…briefly. A light shone above the desk a moment later, taking the shape of a monolith.

_"Is there something I can help you with, Owikawa?"_ came a voice from the holographic image.

"I'd like to call a meeting of the board members," he said, smiling slightly. The dim light gave him a ghastly appearance. "It's time to let loose the dogs of war."

7


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: In chapter 2 I initially described Teruo/Terriermon as a 'young man'. As I continued to write his character it struck me that he was better suited to being a bit more of a smart-alecky kid with a presently growing vocabulary and wider world view. I've since edited chapter 2 to reflect this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter:16

Teruo turned a raised eyebrow around the bustle of PlanPol employees as they raced through the hall, urgently barking orders and responses back and forth like a pinball machine.

_Everyone's so busy that they forgot about me,_ he thought.

"C'mon, Teruo," said the technician behind him, giving him a slight nudge between the shoulder blades. "Let's not get in the way here."

_Well, almost everyone._

"What's going on?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Looks like there's an emergency or something."

"I would guess that would be the case," replied the technician, casting a worried expression at his fellow coworkers. "But you don't need to worry about it."

_Damn right I do,_ he thought, but he didn't voice such an opinion out loud. Instead he gave in to the annoying prompting to his spinal column and moved his shorter legs, scowling at each and every prod that told him to get out of the way and to keep a clear path for the agents.

_I _know_ how to keep out of people's way,_ he thought irritably as still one more prod turned him to the left, nearly bumping him up against the wall. _I ought to build a cattle prod for this guy and see how he likes it._

He didn't voice such thoughts though. He liked the technician, and it was pretty clear that all the ruckus was leaving him duty-minded. As a child—a nine-year old no less—he was pretty much in the way.

_Given how tall I am I'm a walking trip hazard._

Turning a corner didn't alleviate the scene either. There was just as many people clogging the hallways trying to attend to whatever emergency had stirred up the hornet's nest as before.

_Jeez… What the heck happened out there? Did Tartarus explode in their face or something?_

He wasn't going to be getting any answers, and with this level of activity he was sure that PlanPol was likely going to go on full blackout mode with the media.

A smile crawled across his face just then. That sounded like the perfect sort of juicy information that he was looking for.

Stopping in front of a door, the technician opened it and ducked himself and Teruo inside. The technician breathed a sigh of relief.

"Quite the traffic jam, eh, Jacob?"

"Hey Samantha," the technician replied, greeting the woman with a strained smile.

"Things getting crazy?"

"Always," the woman chuckled, though it was forced. "In all seriousness…" she glanced at Teruo quickly before returning to Jacob, her voice getting lower. "…we've got problems." Before Jacob could say anything more, she craned her head over her shoulder, her voice rising in volume. "Henry! Your kid's here!"

"I'm _not_ his kid," Teruo scowled. "He's just my nanny."

"No love lost or gained between you two, huh?" Samantha asked, but not really paying attention. "Hey! Henry!"

"I'm coming." Henry stepped into view from behind a cubical wall. "Hey Teruo," he said, waving a hand in greeting. His jacket was off and his hair looked slightly out of sorts. Teruo recognized the signs right away that he was going to be in for a long night of hard work.

"Hey, boss," he nodded back. "So I'm going to be getting a rental tonight?"

"A what?" Samantha raised an eyebrow.

"A temporary guardian," Henry replied, massaging his eyes. "He knows my habits well enough to guess that I'm being pulled for overtime." He turned his attention back to Teruo. "I'm afraid so, sport."

"So what happened? Heros?"

Henry's jaw moved in such a way that for an instant Teruo thought he was grinding his teeth.

"I'll tell you later, Teruo," he said after a moment's hesitation. "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to reschedule any further tests for another time."

Teruo shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well. I get to go home I hate having all these tests anyway."

Henry smiled. "I thought you might like that. I'll arrange for Mike to take you home. Is that all right?"

"Sure thing. I only need to take care of one last thing…mainly a bathroom break. My bladder's banging out a percussive symphony in d-minor…whatever that means exactly. I need to use a toilet pronto."

"I'll take him there," Jacob said to Henry. "Have Mike waiting for us in the garage."

"All right," nodded Henry. "I'll see you later tonight, Teruo."

"Sure thing," Teruo replied, opening the door to the chaotic stream of agents outside. "See you then."

**…**

Teruo stepped into the bathroom and entered the closest stall, plopping himself down on the toilet without even bothering to unzip or anything. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone and checked the time.

_ Well, this is the right time, so it should be on its way here. All that's left is to wait. I just hope that it didn't wander too far off, otherwise I'm going to have to make up an excuse about being constipated._

He drummed his feet against the tiled floor and hummed quietly to himself, counting off the seconds, which rapidly turned into minutes. Finally, he got up with a sigh of disgust and opened the door, just in time to see a small piece of ceiling tile fall to the floor in front of him. Following its course, he saw a familiar, bronze-like device with mechanical spider legs peeking out at him from a hole in the ceiling.

The device beeped at him and a smile sprang to life on his face.

"Hey! About time. Get down here, we've got to get going."

With another beep, the device crawled out and dropped down into its creator's waiting hands, landing on its back. Spinning uselessly on its back for a moment, spindly legs flexing, it soon righted itself and retracted its limbs into its body.

"Good boy," Teruo nodded. "Did you get anything good?"

The device beeped, red eye flashing.

"Dumb question. I'll take that as a yes though. All right. Into the pocket you go."

With that, Teruo stuffed the device into his pants pocket and, after patting it affectionately to make sure that it was safe and sound, he quickly swept up the ceiling tile fragments and dunked them in the trash. Immediately afterward, he went over to the sink and quickly dashed his hands beneath it. An automatic spray of water activated, wetting him down, and he retracted quickly.

_All employees must wash hands,_ he thought. _Even though I'm not an employee, I'll do it anyway._

Drying his hands on his shirt, he opened the door and stepped outside where Jacob was waiting to greet him.

"Ready to go?"

"I was _born_ ready," Teruo grinned.

**…**

_Suburbia,_ Teruo thought as his driver, Michael, pulled into his home's garage and put the vehicle in park. It was hardly the sort of place that he envisioned looking into top secret information. It was too quiet and unassuming.

_In the movies, doing something highly illegal is always done in back alleys and run-down apartment buildings. Places where lots of trash accumulate, pipes rust, and the walls are either painted an awful yellow color or have this bizarre flower paper over them and have water stains. _

He pushed the door open and stepped out.

_Oh well. I can work with it._

He felt the press of his gadget against his leg and he smiled in anticipation. He couldn't wait to get to his room and turn on his computer. So close… So close…

_There's just only the problem of Mike,_ he thought.

"You want anything to eat?" Michael asked, thumbing through his keys as they approached the front door. "It's past noon now."

Teruo felt the urge to shake his head. He _was_ hungry, but was too excited to really pay attention to it. Michael however knew his habits, being his regular driver and caretaker on the occasions that Henry wasn't available.

"Yeah, sure," he said with a nod, trying to sound as casual as possible. "I'll take your special salami sandwich with all the peppers and onions on top." He licked his lips. _"Lots_ of ketchup. I'll take it in my room."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "You know the rules…"

Teruo was about to complain, but the cooler side of his intellect prevailed. Taking a deep breath, he decided to acquiesce.

"All right. I suppose my pet can wait to be fed."

Michael raised an eyebrow as he unlocked the door to the house and pushed the door in. "Gerbal? I thought you fed him later."

"Not him," Teruo waved dismissively. "Although thanks for reminding me about his new diet time. No, I'm working on a 'pet' project." He tossed Michael a watchful look. "I got a new idea for it while I was getting my brain scanned and I want to see how well I can draw up the prints and integrate it into my current design."

He brushed past Michael, giving him time to let that sink in. Unlike Henry, Michael was more likely to let him work on his projects, if only because PlanPol had such a vested interest in whatever it was he came up with.

_Aaand like clockwork…_

"Tell you what," Michael began. "I'll bring you your food, and we'll keep it between us if you show me what you're working on."

_Perfection._

**…**

_It's the simple things in life that matter,_ Teruo thought with a measure of pride as he fired up his computer.

"Hey Gerbal," he greeted his pet. The rabbit looked up at him from within its spot in the cage, nose wiggling as it sniffed the air. While Teruo waited for his computer to finish booting up, he pulled open a drawer and began sifting through a number of folders containing an impressive number of papers.

_Let's see… Gravity machine… Flashlight laser… Muon stabilizer… Jack in the box… _He frowned, pulling it open just enough to see the crude drawing before sliding it back in quickly. _Better hide that one._ He massaged the bridge of his nose, seeing the sheer breadth of material that he had available. This one drawer wasn't all there was. Far, _far_ from it. _It always seems like my mind is burning with ideas. I wonder if there's ever going to be an end to the well._

Brushing the thought aside for now, he continued digging until he produced the folder he was looking for. Flipping it open, he looked at the crude sketch of a circular device with needle-thin, spidery legs.

"Now all I need is to figure out how to improve you," he said to himself with a nod. He felt the pressure of his mechanical creation on his leg from its spot in his pocket. _Going to be hard to improve an already good creation, but I'll work it out. First things first though._ Spreading the papers onto his desk, he pulled out the live product. On cue, the device unfolded its legs and sprang to life, electric eye glowing red.

"Okay buddy," he said, setting it down on his desk. Hook yourself up and give me everything you've got."

The spider-gadget beeped at him and scuttled off behind the computer to plug itself in. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, Teruo stood up and picked back up his papers, pretending to go over them as the door opened, revealing Michael at the door, a plate with a sandwich in one hand.

"Food's ready," he greeted.

"Thanks," Teruo replied with a grin. "Here's the device I was telling you about. I'll need some time to draw up some new plans, but this is the rough idea I was going for."

Setting the plate down, Michael took the folder and flipped through it.

"This looks a lot like the Companion devices, only…well, with a different shape."

"Duh," Teruo derided. "Companions have some of the best AI's out there, capable of interpersonal relationships with their owners. Did you know some normal people have bought them just so they could have someone to talk to? It's just that no one has ever bothered to give them legs or anything so they could move around."

"I don't know." Michael tapped a finger on his cheek as he looked at the plans. "Considering all the old stories about the Children of Vulcan I don't think anyone is going to want to give them legs."

"Funny…" Teruo leaned back in his chair. "I don't remember those stories involving anything _bad."_

Michael simply shrugged. "Might want to read your history books a bit more closely."

"I don't trust 'em," Teruo scowled. "They're written by the winners, therefore they're biased."

"Your vocabulary is too big for a nine year old," Teruo chuckled.

"I haven't even broken out anything involving an induction coils, so why are you saying that?"

"No real reason, but I can't help but wonder sometimes if you'd ever like being…normal."

"Normal?" Teruo raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "What's 'normal'?"

Michael didn't reply right away and instead appeared to content himself with looking at him thoughtfully for a moment before closing up the folder in his hands.

"Well, let me know when you have your new idea ready to work out. I'm sure R and D would like to take a look at this device of yours. It might be useful for espionage." He paused. "You know, this kind of reminds me of the Silver Age mad scientist… What was his name…? Um… Dr. Rokossovsky…"

"Better known by his Second Name, Dr. Atom," Teruo stated. "He was more stylish though. He used a gear-look for his designs." Teruo tapped his chin. "Maybe I should go for that when I build the final product."

"I doubt PlanPol would really be appreciative of being given technology that resembles a heroi of his…reputation. Anyway, I'll leave you to it. I've got some work I need to take care of."

"Roger that." Teruo gave Michael the thumbs up as the man left him to the solitude of his room. As soon as the door clicked shut, he went back over to his computer. "Okay," he said to it. "Show me what you've got. Anything interesting?"

The computer screen flickered and switched over to video footage, showing what appeared to be a fierce battle going on in the streets of a city, between a young man and…something else. Teruo scowled and paused the video. He went to full screen, hoping to get a better view, but the quality didn't improve in the least. All he got was a distortion that looked only vaguely human-shaped, but there was no other detail. It was as though the distortion wasn't really there, in spite of the very real damage it appeared to be causing.

"Hey… That's Main Street," Teruo said in recognition. "This is dated today even." He tapped his chin, remembering the bustle at PlanPol. "This would explain a lot. A heroi battle?"

His fingers ceased in their tapping and dropped slightly. _This is bad…_

The video resumed. Teruo watched as the young man's defenses were battered down and, eventually, wound up in the grasp of whatever invisible entity was attacking him. There seemed to be a brief exchange between them before the young man dissolved into a series of crimson particles, his skin blistering as he broke apart.

"Hey." Teruo's eyes perked up at the sight. "He's an information transmitter. Only…" He frowned. _He's not doing it right. He's blocking his own transmission, keeping the heat lost from energy right on top of him. He's not intending to reformat himself or bleed off the heat and radiation so as to not kill himself._ He blinked as a realization came to him._ Unless that _was_ his intention…_

Now he could say that he was honestly interested, and he shifted in his seat, anxiously waiting for more. Unfortunately, there wasn't much left. The video continued, ending off with a blonde-haired woman coming to a landing out of the sky—undoubtedly a heros, and one that looked oddly familiar to Teruo, though he couldn't place his finger on why that was.

_Doesn't matter for now._

"Is there anything else?" he asked, trying to push aside the worry. In response, the screen shifted again, this time showing a photo of the young man from the footage, this time showing more information to go along with the picture. A name to be more specific.

_Ryo Akiyama. Alias: The Alchemist. Born 338 Bronze Age. Missing. Involved in Tartarus Incident, 358 Bronze Age._

Teruo covered his mouth as realization blindsided him. _This guy came from Tartarus! Oh. My. God._ His mind raced furiously as the implications built itself a Monster Truck and proceeded to drive trenches across his grey matter. _This could be the break I need to solve this riddle. If he's from Tartarus, I can get all the info that I…oh._

Teruo blinked as he realized something else. The man was effectively dead.

"You just _had_ to make things difficult for me, didn't you?" he asked, shoulders slumping in exasperation. Bringing his hands together, he leaned into them, his eyes contemplating for a moment before he cracked his knuckles. "All right. I welcome the challenge. Bring it on."

**…**

A/N: Largely a character piece meant to bring Teruo more fully into the plot, or at least get him on the road to it. Now concerning the date given for Ryo's birth and disappearance, it's still very tentative as I've only recently started putting together a rough history of events starting from the Classical Age/Antiquity while trying to keep the dating system roughly realistic (i.e. not having tens of thousands of years go by between Ages and having civilizations still somehow having damn near perfect recall of the events in them with little to no technological or cultural advancement during that time). Until I can get dates and events better nailed down, this is what's going to stand for the time being.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next time. :)

-Crazyeight

6


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: This chapter contains mild nudity, so reader beware if you are at all bothered by this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 17

Rumiko picked up the violet pill on the table and slipped it into her mouth. Picking up the glass of water that had been next to it, she drank it down, letting go a satisfied gasp upon placing it back down.

"All right," she said. "That should hold me for the remainder of the day."

Across from her, Riley nodded and pushed her back away from the wall she leaned against and made her way over to the table, sitting herself down.

"We're going to need to have you see our medical department after we're done here," she said.

Riley frowned slightly. "That wasn't part of our deal."

"The 'deal' was for you to come with me," Riley said bluntly. "And for you to be suppressed. Suppression wore off too quickly on you, so I think that your continued safety requires us to figure out why." She leaned forward, folding her hands together. "Now, tell me about your encounter with Ryo."

Rumiko shrugged. "Not much to tell. He said he wanted to talk, and that he needed a place to hold up while he rested. I know how that sounds…"

"Aiding and abiding a fugitive," interrupted Riley, her anger making itself known in her tone. "You bet you know how it sounds."

Rumiko continued as though she had never spoken.

"…but I needed to know what was going on. Unfortunately, he left before I could question him further."

Riley resisted the urge to sigh. She had to remain professional in this. "Was there anything he said or did that hinted as to what was going on?"

"You mean besides leaving? No. But…I have a feeling that whatever caused all that damage we saw earlier had something to do with him. He may have left because something was chasing him." She met Riley's eyes levelly. "You perhaps? He's a fish out of water you know…"

"No," Riley replied. "We had no clue he was even there until after the battle started. However…" She hesitated, unsure whether to share this information with the heros. _Well, it's not as though she needs to know how we got it. _"However…we have video footage that confirms your hypothesis."

Rumiko raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"We received it shortly after arriving here."

"Ah." Rumiko smiled. "So that's why you kept me waiting. Must be nice to have an organization always gathering information for you. You're never blind."

"Let's stay on topic," Riley said.

"Yes," she nodded in agreement. "Let's. Ryo…"

"Nothing confirmed at this moment," Riley interrupted. "He appeared to have teleported out of the area again when it became clear that the battle was going badly for him. His…assailant followed shortly after. There has been no sign of either combatant since."

Rumiko's expression became troubled for but a moment, but she quickly schooled it to calm. Riley found herself admiring the woman's ability to control her emotions so readily. _If only we could all live another hundred years to learn that,_ she mused. She pushed the sentiment aside as hard as she could. She couldn't afford to feel sympathy or admiration for this woman. Not someone—anyone—that had taken part in the last Age's fall.

"I see," Rumiko said. "What about Burton then? Does he…?"

"He's seen a promotion since you were last here. While you may age slowly, a great deal has changed for the rest of us in the past eight years."

"No need for the temper," Rumiko grinned, resting her chin on the back of her hand. "At any rate, should I take it that Burton's promotion has something to do with what brought Ryo back here?"

Riley opened her mouth to speak, but Rumiko quickly cut in before she could say anything. "I know that you have to be concerned about national security, and that is your first response, but consider that it most likely has to do with Tartarus, and right now you have the only person nearby who lived through that event." Rumiko's grin widened slightly. "Don't think I believe that my power was the _only_ reason that I was allowed to live without being managed like you do with all the others. I think we all knew that Tartarus would come back one day."

Riley simply stared at Rumiko, her teeth pressed lightly against her tongue as she fought back against the stinging words that demanded to be said. Instead, choosing her words carefully, she said, "Yes. Burton believed your…experience would be important for when that day came. In fact, if anything, it would make your cooperation with our medical department even more important. As you aged, your powers became more difficult to suppress using our current understanding of heroi physiology."

"So you're thinking of how that knowledge would apply at Tartarus?"

Riley nodded. "We'll need every weapon at our disposal. Any edge is better than no edge, as you know quite well yourself."

"I'll consider it," Rumiko replied. "Now, if that is everything…"

"For now, yes. I'll have an agent escort you to our medical department."

As Rumiko stood up and headed over to the room's door, Riley spoke up again.

"Are you _certain_ that your daughter isn't doing anything that we need to know about?"

The older woman paused at the door, her hand resting on the cold metal of its handle. She pressed her lips together into one thin line, thinking it over before answering.

_"I'm_ certain," she replied finally. "But that wouldn't convince you, I'm sure."

"After today, no, it doesn't," Riley agreed. "We'll be watching, Rumiko. Remember that."

_I remember it every day,_ she thought, turning the handle and stepping out into the hallway._ Oh, Rika…_

**###**

Rumiko had barely listened to the head of the medical department as he explained the procedure to her. She heard it only just enough so that she would be able to follow the instructions, but she may as well have been miles away for all intents and purposes. Her mind was a knotted bundle of emotions—primarily worry and concern, directed toward her daughter, but also for another as well.

_Ryo…_

She barely noticed when she came to a stop in front of the scanner bed. The doctor gave her a few more instructions before pulling out a syringe. Her expression was neutral, a step to the left of her thought process which radiated grimness. Mechanically, she pulled up her sleeve and allowed the doctor to take a sample of blood for later study.

"This may hurt a little," she heard the doctor say as he dabbed her skin with alcohol and pressed a ball of cotton to it. She nodded, but again, her mind was off and away from the moment.

_"This may hurt a little…"_ came Ryo's voice from a memory that felt so very long ago, during a time when her age could still be measured in double digits. When the world was still new to her, and she hadn't needed to hide.

_It had hurt then,_ she thought. _The first time I became a heros. The first crime I stopped… It had all hurt a little, but…_

She drew in a harsh breath, feeling the syringe puncture her skin. Red blood filled the tube and she looked at it with fascination. _It's been a while since I last saw that. The last time had been…_ She found herself smiling as the memory came forth. _…when Rika was born. Spencer had been with me, and just as he did when I was pregnant with Ran, he gave me his suppressant to help me through the birth. _She grimaced slightly as the needle withdrew. _Every mother worries about giving birth, but it's not every mother that's strong enough to kill their children doing so._

That too had hurt a little. Thinking about Spencer hurt a little as well. She wondered how he was doing. Him and his wife, Sarah, with their children.

She wondered about Marcus, and whether or not he was _still_ causing trouble.

"All right," the doctor said. "I'll need you to get on the scanner bed. You'll need to remove your clothes and any possessions you have that may interfere with the sensors. When you're ready, there's a button on the end of the bed. Just press that and we'll start. Someone will come and collect your clothes for cleaning." Rumiko nodded, and the doctor left her alone with her privacy. Reaching up she began unbuttoned her blouse. Within moments, her shirt was folded and placed on the chair in the room, where it was soon joined by the rest of her clothes, all neatly folded and piled on top of one another, her shoes placed last. She stood there, in her solitude, feeling her now bare skin prickling in the air-conditioned room. In spite of the doctor's words, she couldn't help but realize, as though for the first time since arriving here, that her clothes were still dirty from the smoke and dust from her earlier exertions. Frowning slightly, she flexed her toes and turned toward the bed.

"Oh," she said aloud, remembering something. "One last thing."

Reaching up, she untied her hair and placed the hair-band inside a shoe. Lying down on the bed, she shivered slightly from the cold metal. Unconsciously, she curled up and rubbed her arms with her hands, smoothing out the goose bumps that dotted her skin, all the while trying her best to not think about how her breasts hurt from the cold.

_"Are you _certain_ that your daughter isn't doing anything that we need to know about?"_

_ "We'll be watching, Rumiko. Remember that."_

Taking a deep breath, she uncurled her body and touched the button on the edge of the bed. It jerked once and began to draw itself into the tube behind her. As she slid inside, an icy fear began to grow in the pit of her stomach. With it, another memory came to mind that felt…_too_ appropriate.

_"Do you know what Marcus does when he goes out at night?"_

She shivered again.

_Rika… Tell me that you aren't…_

She clenched her eyes shut, feeling that cold fear plant its roots and grow.

_"This will hurt a bit…"_

**###**

The junkyard of Shinjuku was well-known to the city's youth. A maze of wrecked cars, broken appliances, mountains of debris that was said to stretch back across the Ages, from Gold all the way to the present day. Although today it saw little of the kind of action that caused such a buildup for the place to be given its own geographic features, it still grew through the deposit of waste and broken material that followed in the wake of any city's citizenry.

For Shinjuku's youth, none of the top layer interested them in the least. It was what lay _below_ that top layer that mattered. Mattered enough that the place was locked down and well-guarded around the clock. Mattered enough for a great number of Shinjuku's youth to attempt to breach its defenses as a 'coming of age' ritual, or, in a fair number of cases, just to have something from the old Ages. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on one's opinion—the secrets of the junkyard remained well-kept and, aside from one incident fifty years prior with the city's water supply, undisturbed.

Or so it was believed.

_"We'll never have a better time,"_ Rika remembered a friend saying once during a time that felt so long ago. She glowered at the gate where a man in a blue uniform sat. He looked angry, and no wonder. Rika could only guess at the cause of the explosions from earlier, but she could easily see the result just by looking up. The skies around the junkyard were clear of Guardian Spheres, leaving the place almost completely unguarded.

"C'mon Guilmon," she said, picking up her dog and down into an alley. Taking a quick look over her shoulder to make sure that no one could see her, her F.S. Field flashed and she leapt up to the rooftop of the building to her left. She felt Guilmon tense up in her arms but she tightened her hold on him—not enough to hurt him, but just enough to keep him from doing anything stupid. Upon landing, she spun without missing a beat and jumped back into the air, her F.S. Field flaring all the more strongly, allowing her forward momentum to carry her the rest of the distance past the junkyard's fence. There was a spark of electricity as she flew over it, and she gave it an annoyed look upon landing.

_Almost forgot about the proximity sensors. Good thing I'm practically invulnerable._

Wasting no time, she sprinted forward, vanishing around a number of piled cars—old hover models from the Silver Age that had once been a pristine white. She cast her eyes around her as she ducked this way and that, trying to find a familiar landmark. Of course, it was pointless to do so. Yesterday's trash would always end up being buried beneath another layer of garbage, and she couldn't afford to come here often.

Still, there was _one_ individual that she could trust to help her find her way, provided that she found him.

_Provided that he hasn't been scrapped yet,_ she added. In her arms, Guilmon wined and shifted, and she stroked his fur in a calming manner, shushing to the pup quietly.

"Take it easy," she said in a low voice. "I'd put you down, but there's too much stuff here that's dangerous. Old war bots, scrapped doomsday devices…" She shuddered a little. She didn't think any of what she mentioned was at all still operable, but there were always exceptions to the rule. She herself learned that the hard way when she first came here.

Racing around a corner, she found herself gasping in surprise and nearly crushing Guilmon reflexively as she jerked to a halt. She caught herself at the last moment, and carefully relaxed her arms, heart still pounding in her chest. Narrowing her eyes she strode forward to a broken heap of metal that looked as though it resembled a giant, humanoid robot. Whatever it was, it had been pulverized beyond total recognition, with what may have been an abdomen bearing a massive, inward boring dent. Rika didn't have to look to know that there was a gaping hole on the other side.

After all, she had made it herself.

Jumping up slightly, she landed above the dent and looked down to find exactly what she was looking for; the head of the great beast. Its electric eye was empty and lifeless with a long, spidery crack crossing its surface. She didn't trust it though.

_"Run, Rika! It's getting closer!"_

She shut her eyes against the memory, willing it away before reopening them, bringing her glare harshly down on the robot's head.

"You played dead the first time I came through here," she said, feeling her heart racing again, though this time for an entirely different reason. Kneeling down and touched its surface before balling her hand into a tight fist. Rearing her arm backward, she drove her fist forward with all her might, smashing it through its thick, armored surface. The robot's body jerked and the ruins of its limbs rose slightly as though in one last bid for resistance, and then fell back to earth. Rika withdrew her fist, and smashed it into the machine's head one more time, feeling a great sense of satisfaction with that last punch. She sat there for a moment, breathing slowly and deeply, basking in the fire burning in her chest before she withdrew her hand one last time, flexing her fingers and blowing off flecks of rust from her skin.

"About as tough as I remember," she grumbled, frowning at her now dirt-encrusted knuckles. "But I'm strong now. I don't have to worry about things like you anymore."

_"Rika! Run!" cried a girl with brown hair from where she lay, hand stretched out, begging her to keep going. The ground shook and behind her the giant war machine loomed into view, having found its targets…_

She ground her teeth together as the last bits of memory stubbornly clung to her much like the rust on her hand, but she was saved by a quick lick from Guilmon's wet tongue.

"Ugh!" She jerked back in surprise. "Warn me when you're about to do that, would ya?!"

The pup simply tilted its head back, and Rika found herself sighing, rubbing the side of his head.

_I hate coming here,_ she thought sadly, her fingers brushing through Guilmon's soft, silky fur.

"Make enough noise yet?" came a familiar voice. Glancing down from her place on top of the robot's remains she found herself looking at a smaller, humanoid robot wearing a dirty, scuffed pair of overalls. A single electric eye winked red at her and it waved a thin, metal arm at the girl. Hopping down to the ground she strode over to the robot and nodded in greeting.

"Hey Bob," she said. "I'm here to see him."

"I thought so," he nodded. "You don't come here for anything else."

Rika shifted Guilmon uncomfortably in her arms, not sure what to say about that.

"New friend?" asked Bob. She nodded.

"So…" she began, but Bob held up a hand in front of her.

"Say no more," he said, and he gestured for her to follow after him. Rika did so, though she took a moment to cast one last look over her shoulder at the destroyed monstrosity before turning and continuing after Bob.

_Should have kicked its head off,_ she thought regretfully. _Next time…_

**###**

"You're very lucky that I happen to have been in the area," Bob told her as they made their way down the twisting paths, their feet walking along a path worn smooth by a thousand footfalls before theirs. "I was just going to investigate a perimeter breach in the area. Ted thought it was just a pigeon and that's what I'll tell him. You might want to try a different side next time though, or at least not show up for a while. Our security just took a big punch today so he's going to be more paranoid about anything that sets off the alarms."

"I get that," Rika replied. "So how is he doing?"

"No different from last time. He stays in his place, gathering information like usual, sending out hard-light projections to interact with people in the real world… The usual. At least for h-h-h…" Bob paused in his stutter and hit the side of his head with a loud clang. "…him," he finished. "Sorry about that. My processor is getting worn out."

"He'll make you a new one won't he?"

"Can't." Bob shook his mechanical head. "Well, I won't let him. It'd be too suspicious since I'm supposed to be covered by the company that runs this place. If I get 'retired', he'll take me on, so it won't be an issue then." Grabbing his suspenders, he pulled them taught. If it weren't for the complete lack of a face, Rika would have sworn that Bob looked proud. "No one knows this place better than me after all. I'm cheap to keep around for someone like him."

Rika grimaced, not sure if she liked that kind of view.

_To each their own,_ she thought.

"Well, here we are," he said as they came to a stop in front of a broken down bus with a chunk of garbage in front of it. "Oop," he noted. "Looks like Greg covered it up. Hang on." Moving over to the pile of rubbish, he carefully pushed it aside, revealing a dirty plate of metal with a button on top beneath it. Wiping it off, he pressed the button and the plate unfolded outward and a ladder rose up. "There you go, m'lady," Bob saluted. "He'll be waiting for you."

Rika nodded, not even bothering to ask if she was expected. She was certain that he already knew she was there. After all, her contact was the reason how she got into the place as often as she did.

"Take care of yourself Bob," she said. Taking hold of the ladder, she began to climb down.

"Have you met with your friend yet?" Bob asked suddenly, causing her to stop in her climb and go rigid.

_He always does this…_

"No…" she said slowly. Guilmon shifted in her arm and looked up at her, eyes appearing almost curious at her answer.

"You should," Bob replied. "She's waiting for you. It's not good to keep people waiting."

"I'll see her eventually," Rika said, resuming her journey. _Just not now._ "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't keep asking me that."

"I'm sorry. I'll be sure to remember that next time."

_No you won't,_ Rika thought, disappearing into the dark hole.

The journey seemed to go on forever, and the tunnel was suffocating in its darkness, but soon enough her feet touched solid ground. A small, string of lights attached to the cave-like wall provided all the illumination in the room, and she followed them in a slight curve until the hallway opened up into a large room bristling with machinery. Here and there, electricity popped and sparked, and a number of screens showed broadcasts from numerous new stations. A single chair sat amidst all this seemingly ordered chaos and Rika moved toward it, nearly tripping over an extension cord as she did so, causing her to swear out loud.

"Careful," came a voice from the chair. "It's not very ladylike to curse like that."

Rika glowered at the chair, kicking her foot free from the cord. "Yeah, well, maybe if you didn't leave so much junk lying around it wouldn't be an issue."

There was a low chuckle from the chair and the chair spun around, revealing a tall, young-looking man with dark hair that hung just a little down his nape of his neck. His hair and clothes were so neat that his base, such as it were, shouldn't have been as dirty and cluttered as it was. His fingers pressed against each other in a triangular fashion as he eyed Rika, a small, confident smirk on his face. His eyes, in the dark light appeared to be grey, but were actually a steely blue. He radiated arrogance in his gaze, but Rika knew him far better than that. The way his eyes lighted up on seeing Guilmon was plenty of evidence of that.

Getting up, his eyes took on a significantly kinder note and he walked over, his smile becoming smaller and oddly gentler.

"So," he began. "Are you going to introduce us?" he asked, placing a hand out for Guilmon to sniff. Rika rolled her eyes.

"Guilmon…this is Ken Ichijouji."

"Hello Guilmon," Ken greeted as the pup licked his hand and then nuzzled into his palm. The youth smiled. He looked at Rika. "When did you become such a friend to animals?"

"Since my contact was trying to take care of him but couldn't."

Ken tilted his head to one side. "Ah, Takato. That sounds like a story of its own."

"Not much of one, but Guilmon helped me get in contact with him and be…friends too."

"Hmmm…" Ken nodded. "Well, you do need to make some new ones."

Rika scowled. "Just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Ken brushed her words aside with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Nothing for right now. So what are you doing here? The virus for Takato's Companion isn't quite done yet."

"About that…" Rika chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "She's…acting weird."

Ken raised an eyebrow at that. _"She?"_

"A machine is acting weird and _that's_ what catches your attention?"

Ken laughed lightly and he turned around. "It sounds as though we've got quite a bit to catch up on. Come on. I've got some tea brewing on the stove. It's actually a good thing you came down here. There's been a communication blackout and the media is getting clamped down on."

Rika sighed and let Guilmon down on the ground, who promptly trotted ahead of her as she followed the man into his cave.

**###**

A/N: This chapter is very late in coming, and this week has been pretty busy. Between work setting up its next show (I volunteer at a small art gallery) and a friend I haven't seen in two years coming home for a brief visit, my desire to write burned rather low this week. Following this, my schedule should stabilize again until around the start of next month, so updates will become a bit more regular.

Initially I wasn't planning for Ken to be Rika's contact. It was actually meant to be Izzy, but I had problems reconciling this with the statues of the Virtues back in the second chapter. As I began describing the hideout, it occurred to me that this was more 'Digimon Emperor' style, so I switched things up to reflect this.

Bob however is purely my own creation, and meant to be more of a silly one. Sort of the janitor of the trash grounds and one who loves his work. :D

Until next chapter.

-Crazyeight

8


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 18

Owikawa stood in the middle of a dark room, his hands folded behind his back and a small, confident smile emblazoned on his stone-like face. He took in the colored lights that surrounded him, six in total, with alternating hues of green, red, and blue. Above each light was a word—a Latin ordinal number—to differentiate them from their brethren.

"Gentlemen," Owikawa began. "Ladies. My esteemed colleagues. I am grateful that you were able to make it today."

_"Save for Septimus,"_ spoke up a voice from one of the green lights labeled _Tertius._ The voice was distorted, speaking with a low, deep, warbling tone, preventing anyone from being able to discern the gender of the speaker. Owikawa chuckled lightly.

"It can't be helped. Our worldly duties do press on us after all. I trust that one of you will bring him up to speed."

_"Indeed they do,"_ grated another voice, this one feminine, and obviously annoyed, from the light labeled _Secundus_. _"I'll have you know it took quite a lot to squeeze this meeting in, so why don't we skip the pleasantries and move on to the matter at hand?"_

"Sound advice," Owikawa replied. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Shinjuku is about to become the primary battlefield for our grand plan. It is time that we took steps to ensure our footing is maintained and unleashed Project Trojan Horse."

Each of the lights flickered slightly, causing Owikawa to imagine that the people behind them had just now blinked in surprise.

_"Isn't it a bit premature?"_ asked another voice, _Quartus. "We're still waiting for information about Tartarus…"_

"Tartarus has already begun breaching into our world. As I said, Shinjuku is about to become the main battleground."

The lights flickered again, and after a brief pause the light labeled _Primus_ broke the quiet.

_"Go on…"_

"As of yesterday at," Owikawa quickly checked his watch, "11:00 a.m., Shinjuku experienced a battle between one heroi, a Ryo Akiyama, also known as the _Alchemist_ from late Bronze Age, and an unknown entity of extraordinary power. Surveillance of PlanPol response teams reported it as a class Omega heros."

_"Omega?!"_ There was a sudden rush of surprised whispers and questions, but Primus' voice quickly over rode them.

_"Let him continue!"_

Owikawa nodded to Primus, his smile remaining strong on his face. He had their attention now. Whatever their real world concerns were, they just took a backseat to this one.

"The Omega Entity appeared to have vanished following the disappearance of the Alchemist. Whether they moved to a different location or returned to Tartarus is unknown, though given the lack of any fresh reports, particularly in your areas, I would say that a return to Tartarus is the most likely possibility. Footage indicates that the Omega was extremely interested in capturing the Alchemist."

_"Any further indications as to its intentions?"_ asked Tertius. Owikawa shook his head regretfully, his smile dropping a little.

"Unfortunately no. However, the repercussions of its appearance have left us with an opportunity that we may not get another chance to take. Shinjuku's PlanPol presence has been drastically reduced. I advise that we take advantage of this incident to implement Trojan Horse and put some…stress on the Empire's resources." The smile grew back on his face. "With the bulk of the Empire's power concentrated on Tartarus, and with the presence of…_nemesis' _within Shinjuku and without, the Empire will be left with only _one_ viable alternative."

_"I see his point,"_ Segundus said carefully. _"But the risk of potential backfire is high. If so much as one of our Trojans is captured, we have enough fingerprints on them for PlanPol to be able to trace them back to us. I think it's too risky."_

_ "We have an army of our own courtesy of those very same Trojans,"_ spoke up a new voice from the light labeled _Quintus. "We can make a war of it, and it will allow the public to view heroi more favorably."_

_ "While they destroy their cities again?"_ scoffed Quartus. _"It won't change anything. No one will want to see Tartarus return in the midst of all this. The possibility of it being destroyed is the more likely result, which will be easily accomplished once it finally translates into our world."_

_ "Bullshit. _We_ will be the villains! Not the heroi…"_

_ "That,"_ interrupted Primus, raising his voice briefly before returning it to a more neutral tone, _"will be enough. Owikawa. How will Shinjuku be the main battleground? It may be lacking in response forces at the moment, but that hardly makes it unassailable. Guardian Spheres are mass produced after all. The city will be resupplied in as little as two to three days."_

Owikawa's eyes danced with an amused light.

"I know, and I have already taken the first steps toward preventing that."

**###**

Henry was humming quietly to himself as he put on his tie, preparing for the new day. He was trying to be cheerful; to find something to look forward to. However, with recent events, he found it increasingly difficult to do so without actually wondering what there was in store for him…

"I need to go to the junkyard," came Teruo's voice from behind him.

_Wonder no more,_ he thought, feeling the last remnants of his optimism die a quiet little death. Sighing—he realized that he seemed to do that far too often when it came to his charge—he turned to find the young boy standing behind him, arms folded over his chest. To Henry, Teruo gave him the impression of a midget Napoleon that for some reason was common to most five year olds. He wasn't sure if he liked the fact that Teruo, a good four years older, was still able to pull it off convincingly.

"No," he said bluntly. In his mirror he saw Teruo's scowl. It did not suit his age at all and completely obliterated the Napoleon look he had earlier. "You know the rules."

"I _know_ the rules," Teruo replied, glaring at Henry's mirrored face. "But that doesn't change the fact that I still need to go there. I've used up everything I possibly could around here for my inventions. The only place that has what I need is the junkyard."

"You've caused enough trouble with your inventions," Henry said.

"Hey, take it easy…"

_"Don't_ tell me to _take it easy,_ Teruo." Henry turned around, a dark look on his face. "I know you have your excuses and everything, but you shouldn't be causing the kind of trouble that you do, _especially_ now." He turned back around and resumed fidgeting with his tie. "Besides, you've never asked to go to the junkyard before, so why are you asking now?"

"I've got a hole burning in my brain," Teruo said simply, scuffing at the carpet with a shoe. "A new idea. I want to see if it works."

"If it's so important, then why don't you draw up some blueprints and have me take it down to R and D for study? That's what you're supposed to do anyway so that PlanPol can justify not having you under suppression."

"They take too long," Teruo grumbled. "I thought that they'd get started right away, and instead all they're doing is studying my brain and trying to figure out how I get my wacky ideas. Besides, it doesn't feel right if I don't build things with my own hands."

Henry gave him a sympathetic smile with the mirror. "I can understand that, but sometimes you have to be patient. We don't know how your inventions will affect the world. The Silver Age gave us a lot of problems because of that mindset you know. We still haven't solved them all." He finally finished putting on the last touches to his tie and went over to Teruo, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look. If you want, I'll see about requisitioning some materials and maybe getting you a lab. I can't promise anything…"

"…because I'm a kid, right?"

Henry chuckled. "A kid with a lot of energy and who doesn't always think ahead."

Teruo scowled up at Henry. "Most people wouldn't say that. How come you never lie?"

"Because that would make me bad for you as a role model," Henry answered.

"You're not my role model."

"At least you're honest about it. So how come you don't lie?"

Teruo didn't respond to that.

"Anyway," Henry resumed. "There aren't any experiments or tests today. Michael should be by shortly to keep an eye on you."

"You're supposed to be my guardian," Teruo pointed out. "How come Michael ends up doing that more than you?"

"Michael happens to be an agent whose primary job description _is _to keep an eye on people, and doesn't happen to be in Heroi Control services." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm finishing up a final report on the Matsuki case today."

"Oh?" Teruo pretended to raise a curious eyebrow. "Anything new about it?"

"There seems to be a problem developing with his Companion Module. Apparently it hasn't been completely _honest_ in its reports. I'll tell you more about it later."

"Fine." Teruo shrugged his shoulders, having no real interest in the subject anyway. "Anyway, you promise to look into that material requisition stuff for me?"

"If I have time," Henry nodded.

**###**

_Henry means well, but I don't think he'll get me what he promised,_ Teruo thought, opening up the fridge and pulling the carton of milk. _Not that I have any intention of working for PlanPol in that capacity anyway, which is why I prepared a contingency plan._

Pulling out a bottle of sleeping pills he unscrewed the top and counted out the number required to knock out someone of Michael's mass. It was fortunate for him that the agent was predictable in his habits, always going for a glass of milk whenever he sat for him at the house. The timing was, of course, never exact, but he could count on the man to eventually get around to it. There would, of course, be the snag of dealing with the eventually unconscious agent and his obviously lack of memory of the day's events, but he would deal with that once he was done with his mission. He already had a plan formulating in his mind as it was, and just what materials were needed for it.

He almost couldn't wait to start messing around and Teruo resisted the urge to rub his hands together and cackle like a two-bit villain.

He almost felt bad for having to resort to such measures as well. However, he knew right from the start that he wouldn't be allowed access to anything that would help him, and the window he had for this was already so small.

_At least now that the question was popped, Henry will think that I won't go behind his back on this. _He chuckled. To date, staying out of the junkyard had been the _only_ actual rule that he followed. Now though that was about to change.

Plopping the sleeping tablets into the milk, he returned it to the fridge and went upstairs to his room, where he found his computer on and his printer finishing its job. Snatching up the printouts he tapped one finger on his chin before glancing at the fox-like image plastered on the screen.

"So, was I right?" he asked.

_"You were indeed,"_ came the response from Kitsune via the speaker. _"There is a blanket of electromagnetic activity in the upper atmosphere of the city. It should have everything you need."_

Teruo looked back at his printout. "It's not going to last long though. The Meta Foundation's satellite system indicates that the field is degrading. I may have anywhere from today to a week to solve this." He grimaced. Kitsune had crunched the numbers for him as he hated having to take care of that. He preferred building things. Even so, the window of opportunity was so small it might as well not exist. The amount of time necessary to collect, build, and test what he had in mind… _Maybe I should tell Henry what I'm doing. At least that way I could be certain that I can get what I need without having to lie to him and go to such roundabout methods._

_ "Having second thoughts?"_ came Kitsune's voice from the computer, startling Teruo out of his thoughts.

"No!" He shook his head fiercely. "I'm just…nervous. Everything has to go exactly right for this to go off without a hitch. I'm not sure if I can do it."

_"You won't know until you try."_

"As if I needed to hear that old cliché," Teruo muttered. He heard the sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway and checked the window to see that it was indeed Michael, or at least the black vehicle common to PlanPol agents arriving.

_All right. Time to get this show on the road._

**###**

For the strangest reason, Takato woke up to the smell of rust and old dirt, but found himself in his bedroom. It was strange in that the smells reminded him of outdoors, in the city where there was more metal and brick than the wood that made up his suburb home. Sitting up, he ran a hand through his ruffled hair, shaking himself free from the grip sleep had over his eyes and staggered out of bed.

_Oh man, what time is it?_ he wondered with a deep yawn. He rubbed at his eyes, removing a dry flake from around the edges of their lids. He glanced at the clock, his shoulders sagging a little at the time. Ten O'clock. Not exactly how he wanted to start his day.

"Jeri?" he asked, turning to the wall socket where his Companion was plugged in. At his voice, the AI's electric eye turned on and swung up toward him.

_"Yes?"_

"I thought you were going to wake me up before nine."

Jeri's eye winked briefly, as though thinking carefully about her response.

_"I'm sorry. I felt that, after yesterday's incident, you could do with more sleep. The more rest you get, the faster you'll heal. How are you feeling, by the way?"_

Takato gingerly touched his ribs, feeling his way along Kazu's med job and took a deep breath. "So far so good," he said, releasing his breath. "There's no pain." He smiled in relief. That was one thing that he hoped he didn't have to worry about.

_"Still, you should take it easy,"_ suggested Jeri. _"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since you injured yourself. You might cause further harm if you strain yourself too much."_ Her eye winked once. _"Are you certain that you want to hang out with your friends today? Kazu seems like he'd be…rough."_

Takato chuckled as he made his way to his dresser and started pulling out clothes. "He does sometimes get into trouble, but he's really a good guy."

_"If you say so, but your safety is my primary concern."_

"Well, yeah, but…" Takato paused as he started to lift his shirt and then looked at Jeri, a small blush forming on his cheeks. Carefully, trying to be as subtle as possible, he ducked down and started to pull his clothes off, not wanting the AI to view him while he changed. "Well, yeah," he resumed, shrugging on the day's shirt. "But Kazu always means well, and he's gotten a lot better about keeping a hold on himself, especially after we became friends with Kenta. He worries about him a lot."

_"Kenta does appear to be of subpar health for a child his age,"_ Jeri noted. Her red eye dulled somewhat, the equivalent of an electric frown. _"Is that why he has such extensive knowledge of medicine?"_

"Nah!" Takato laughed as he continued to change. "A lot of that had to do with his mom. Well, more like his mom being angry at him for getting into trouble so often. She got so fed up with him that she made him learn how to bandage and take care of scrapes and, you know, important stuff like that. We fell out of our neighbor's trees a lot when we were kids. Er…not that we aren't still kids now I mean, but…" Takato rubbed the back of his head as he gave an awkward chuckle. "Well, you know what I mean." Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, he promptly pulled on his shorts and stood up. "Anyway, the point is, I'll be fine."

_"Hmmm…"_ Jeri didn't sound very convinced. _"I suppose that's your decision, but I should point out that there remains increased blood flow centered around the damaged area."_

"Huh?" Takato raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

_"My infrared Spectrometer just indicated it to me while you were changing. There was a section on your body that saw a higher level of heat than normal."_ Her electric eye winked thoughtfully. _"Perhaps I should take your temperature…"_

"Uh… Thanks, but I feel fine." Takato chuckled a little uncertainly. He didn't want to know how the miniature device would be able to do that.

The sound of the doorbell ringing caught his attention, followed by a loud banging from outside.

"Sounds like Kazu's here," he said, snatching Jeri up from the electric socket and clipping her on to his belt. "Well, here goes nothing."

5


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 19

Haruo groaned inwardly as he scratched at his large gut as he watched the workers he was in charge of load the latest shipment of Guardian Spheres for transportation.

_"We need new Spheres and we needed them yesterday," she said._ He grimaced, remembering the _pleasant_ conversation he had with the secretary of the Shinjuku division of PlanPol as she filed the order with him. _What a bitch. As if it's my fault that they didn't get their replacements the very _second_ a third of their force was destroyed. We're only people here. We move as fast as we can and as soon as we get the word. What does she expect? None of us are psychics._

He grimaced again. He was tempted to tell the secretary that the next time she called, railing on him about not doing the impossible.

_ If she really wanted that, maybe she ought to hire some heroi to do the job for her. Like maybe some of those teleporters. Oh wait. That's right. They're fucking _illegal!

His employees unfortunately didn't share in his aggravation, as the number being asked for packing and loading was not such that it required them to work overtime. Things would get done in due time and then PlanPol would have their numbers restored to optimum operation levels. Really, it was mainly the travel time that took the longest.

Of course, people who always demanded that work be turned in the very second it's asked for never seemed to get that things took time, even with the directive to just "get it done". Haruo supposed that the secretary had her reasons for acting that way. After all, Shinjuku, like most cities, tended to be sitting on a powder keg with their high number of heroi population. There was a fear that so much as the slightest slipup could cause that powder keg to explode and then everything would become unraveled.

_The Old World never seems to have that problem,_ Haruo mused, turning away from his office window to pick up a news magazine, the Weekly Globe, and start thumbing through it. _Well, except for old Rome…_

The sudden explosion of his window as a sonic force shattered it caused him to fall out of his chair with a shout of surprise. Glass rained down on him and he covered himself with his hands to protect his face from their razor sharp edges. Before he could even begin wondering just what had happened, the sound of screams and metal being destroyed followed the explosion, giving him a pretty good idea that whatever was going on, it was by far _not_ good.

Climbing to his feet as rapidly as he could, paying no mind to the glass that sliced at his hands, he staggered over to the broken window to see what was going on, a question already forming on his lips…

…just in time to see the torn off front of their truck flying right at him.

"Shit," Haruo muttered a mere second before the truck impacted his office, burying him beneath its weight. A powerful, animalistic howl blanketed all other noise as a dark shadow spread out across the opening in the factory's garage door.

**###**

Teruo placed a finger against Michael's cheek and poked at him. In response, the agent grunted and shifted his position on the couch. Other than that, he didn't react. Teruo smiled and nodded to himself.

_He's asleep,_ he thought quietly to himself. _Took him long enough. Now I can move out. This should keep him out until I get back. I hope it does anyway, otherwise I'm going to be in serious trouble when I get back._

Snatching up his book bag, he headed out the door and went into the garage, pulling out his bicycle. Climbing on it, he looked around before taking off. He felt so awkward and slow, pumping the pedals, but at the moment he lacked any other form of transportation.

_My jet pack would have been nice if it hadn't been confiscated,_ he scowled. He had a slew of other inventions as well, like the anti-gravity devices that he wanted to attach to his shoes to provide him with a more efficient method of traveling, but unfortunately he lacked the materials—not to mention the fuel source—to make it viable. So until he solved that problem, he was stuck with the crude and simple method of travel by peddling around and relying on gravity to do its job in the right places.

_At least it's mostly downhill just getting there,_ he mused, the wind starting to muss with his green and white dyed hair.

Still, the sheer amount of time it would take to get to where he needed to go annoyed him a great deal.

_Oh well. My genius is just going to have to deal with it until I'm old enough to build my own nuclear reactors. For now, I just need to focus on how to solve my current puzzle._ He chuckled as the road started to dip downward. He was going to have to thank Kitsune again for his hacking abilities. The Meta Foundation's new satellite system had helped him a great deal. He grinned, feeling a touch of excitement. _All I have to do now is use my own breed of magic._

**###**

Rika lay on her bed, reading one of her favorite books—a fictional piece titled _Shinjuku's Avengers—_but unfortunately finding herself unable to become terribly interested in it. Frustrated, she closed the book up and tossed it to the side in an ungraceful manner and turning her head over the small tubular device lying on her nightstand. She felt Guilmon's body pressing against her leg and she reached over to scratch at his fur.

She didn't feel better for the animal's presence, but for a brief moment she could at least distract herself from the strange sense of foreboding that had crept up on her since her meeting with Ken the other day. She glanced at the tubular device on her nightstand again. It was an old design of the Companion Device, decommissioned but still recent enough to connect with any of the newer models and fill in the gaps during shortages in the production lines.

_All I need to do is activate it when I'm near Jeri, and it will take care of the rest,_ she thought to herself. She sighed and turned her head. Something felt off, but she couldn't place it. _Is it because she…_ Rika paused. _It,_ she corrected herself, _didn't file a report about when Takato used his powers? That's not normal for a Companion to do. Not normal at all. What would Ken's virus do if I activated it when it's acting like that?_

Still, this was what it took to get to her goal. The meeting with Shibumi had fallen through after all and for whatever reason he had tapped Takato to take his place. She narrowed her eyes. _Why _did_ Shibumi activate that kid? He hasn't done anything except jump across the street and break his ribs like an idiot. I can already do that. Well, minus the breaking ribs part since I'm practically invulnerable._

She was tempted to get into her 'costume', such as it was, and go pick a fight with Takato, if only so that she could get a better idea of what his power range was and what he could do. Was he an Alpha or a Beta? _The distance he jumped makes me think of something a bit further down the road, but powers seem to change quickly when they're growing. I remember there was a time when I lost my ability to fly for a couple weeks. That wasn't fun._ She grimaced, remembering the day she found out the hard way. Invulnerability was fun, but that hadn't stopped her nerves from doing their job then either. That had fluctuated as well.

She sighed and swung her legs over the side of her bed. No, she wasn't going to start anything with Takato. Fighting would only complicate things. In spite of her misgivings, she was going to have to be patient. Picking up the old Companion Module, she pocketed it and grabbed Guilmon's leash.

"Want to go for a walk?" she asked, but for once the puppy just sat there and looked at her, big, dark eyes looking awfully pitiful, as if to say, _"Do I have to?"_

"No, I guess you don't," she said simply, hanging up the leash. "But I do. See you later, Guil."

Stepping outside, she found herself grateful that her mother had gone in to work today. Given the amount of money that she made now, she could afford to choose when to work and who she worked for, and often than not she chose to stay home to work on her clothing designs. Her going in today gave Rika the rare opportunity to blow off some steam with her powers.

_Skies clear,_ she thought. Closing her eyes, she concentrated briefly, and a dim light flared around her lithe form. With a light tap on the ground with her foot, she floated into the air, and a small smile crossed her features as she felt the familiar sensation of levitation. Almost at once, she felt her anxieties melt away.

_Okay,_ she thought. _Let's get go…_

"So how long have you been able to do this?"

Rika's eyes snapped open to find Rumiko floating in front of her, arms folded beneath her breasts and a _very_ displeased look on her face. Rika jerked backward, putting some distance between herself and the woman as her mind tried frantically to make sense of what was happening.

"Mom! Wha…?

"On the ground," Rumiko stated firmly, her eyebrows narrowing ever so slightly. "Right now. You and I are going to have a talk."

Rika hesitated for a bit, her heart beating a furious drumbeat in her chest, but she acquiesced to her mother's order…for now. The two floated down to the ground together, and their feet soon touched the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Rika demanded, her surprise starting to give way to anger.

"I'll be asking the questions here, young lady. How long have you had your powers?"

Rika ground her teeth together, feeling heat rise in her chest. "A while," she replied vaguely.

"Should I take _a while_ to mean since that incident with your friend?" Rumiko eyed her daughter carefully, taking note of every subtle nuance in her daughter's reaction.

"Takato has _nothing_ to do…"

"I wasn't talking about him. I heard you say _a while,_ and as near as I can tell, Takato was quite recent. His powers are still developing after all. I know the signs. I'm far too old to _not_ recognize them."

"You didn't catch mine," Rika shot back, stepping to the side.

"I didn't," Rumiko admitted. "I haven't been very attentive as a parent since Ran disappeared."

"You haven't been much of a parent at all," Rika seethed. "You didn't even _look_ for her!"

Rumiko narrowed her eyes. "And whatever gave you that impression?"

Rika balked at that, but only for a moment.

"You… What? Have you been talking to PlanPol? Trying to get _them_ to look for…for a _heroi?!_ Mom! Those people don't give a damn about us! They…"

A sharp gust of wind blasted over Rika, and at once her mother was standing directly in front of her, eyes leveled on her and arms still folded over her chest. Rika staggered back, once again surprised. _She hadn't even moved!_

"Watch your language, young lady," Rumiko warned.

Gathering the tattered remnants of her concentration, her F.S. Field flared around her body and an angry cockiness descended over her.

"Oh yeah? Or you'll do what?"

For one moment, Rika entertained the insane thought that she was going to end up fighting her mother. A thrill of emotion shivered through her body, and she found herself unpleasantly taken with the thought. All her anger and frustration…could it at last find release? After all this time?

"How long, Rika?" Rumiko asked again, this time in a tone the girl had never heard before. There was no longer the undertones of mere anger, but the far off approach of what Rika could only describe as a hurricane looking for only the slightest excuse to cut loose.

_Does she feel the same way?_ Rika felt her hands clench and unclench like the valves in her heart, beating in time with its rhythm. It seemed as though the storm was about to burst.

Summoning as much control over herself as she could, Rika backed away.

"I don't have to tell you anything, Mom," she said. "You'd rather sell yourself out to PlanPol or whoever it is that you're working with rather than doing anything yourself. Ran was my sister and you didn't do _anything!"_

"Rika…"

"Forget it! I'm out of here!" With that, Rika leapt into the air, taking flight…only to be stopped as a hand snagged her by the foot and brought her crashing to the ground on her stomach. Coughing up dust billowing up from the force of her impact, she rolled over, glaring venomously at her mother, only to stare in stupefied wonder as she found that the woman didn't so much as appear to have moved so much as an inch.

"You're not leaving, Rika," she said simply, her expression stern. "Not until you answer my question. How long have you had your powers?"

Growling, Rika got to her feet and again tried to take to the air again, but once more that hand was back, snatching at her ankle and yanking sharply. This time though, Rika was ready. Her F.S. Field flaring, she pulled her leg free. Smiling triumphantly down at her mother—_now_ she was there beneath her, eyes blazing—and prepared to take off again.

Quite unexpectedly though, her mother grabbed her by the front of her shirt and left arm. Pulling again, she brought her daughter slamming to the ground, this time creating a sizeable dent from the impact. Rika's eyes went wide as she felt the wind go out of her lungs, and she lay there, curled up in a ball as she gasped for air. Her mind was white with shock and anger. Her mother…

"Rika," came Rumiko's firm voice, yet for a wonder it had acquired a more gentle tone to it. Rika's eyes flashed as the woman knelt down beside her, bringing a soft hand on her head. Something snapped inside the girl just then. Rolling to her feet, her F.S. Field flared with even greater intensity and, throwing as much strength into her arms as she could, she spread her hands against her mother's chest and _shoved_ her. Now it was Rumiko's turn for her eyes to go wide with surprise as she was propelled through the wall of their house, smashing through it and disappearing into the depths of their home until she exploded out through the other side.

Her anger cooling, Rika stood there for a moment, completely and totally taken aback by her own actions. _Did I…? Did I just…?_ Clenching her eyes shut, her mind recoiling over what she had just done, she pushed up off the ground and…

"I said you are _not_ leaving until you answer my question," came Rumiko's voice as she suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Wha…?" was Rika's flummoxed response as she flew at the woman. Rumiko shifted slightly and braced herself while Rika brought her arms up to protect herself from the impact that was sure to follow. She was going too fast to change course! She…

"Guh!" Rika gagged, breath once again leaving her lungs as Rumiko's fist imbedded itself in her solar plexus. Dark spots flooded her vision and her entire body went limp, falling into her mother's awaiting arms.

Rumiko held her now unconscious daughter in her arms for a moment, gently patting her back with a pained expression. Dropping down to the ground, she brought her into the broken house and entered the living room—having escaped the damage from her being blasted through the house. Laying her across the couch, she brushed aside her daughter's bangs and sighed heavily.

"There's going to be no hiding this," Rumiko mused, looking at the damage to the house. "I've done all I can and now…" She shook her head. "Oh Rika. You take after your father too much." A low chuckle emerged from her lips as she took in her daughter's pale face. "And me too it seems."

Her expression became serious just then as she heard the barking of Rika's dog from her room. Getting up to comfort the animal, she cast one last look over her shoulder at her still sleeping daughter.

"We're going to have quite a bit to talk about when you come around…"

**###**

Looking out over Shinjuku from the PlanPol main office building Yolei leaned against the ladder leading up to the building's transmitters, calmly smoking a cigarette. Taking a deep drag, she held the smoke in her mouth, tasting it for a moment before blowing it out smoothly.

_Ah,_ she thought, closing her eyes, basking in the sunlight.

The day had been far too busy from her point of view, at least for the various agents that were having to deal with the latest crisis. She didn't envy them one bit. The loss of man-power—or more accurately the loss of _mechanical_ power—was forcing PlanPol's Shinjuku division to send more of their biological agents into the field to pick up the slack. She could almost feel the frustration and exhaustion from her coworkers. It wasn't bad yet, but there was a clear difference in how they felt now versus their normal operational standards.

_A lot of our work depends on the Guardian Spheres,_ she thought, taking another drag on her cigarette. _Hope nothing bad happens while we're waiting for reinforcements._

A shadow fell over her just then, and Yolei opened her eyes to find a dark-haired man wearing what appeared to be a tattered, black-leather jacket. Pale lips curled upward into a dead-like smile, but they did not reach his eyes, whose irises were colored a disturbing silver.

"Who…?" she began before the man raised a gloved hand. White light stabbed outward from his palm, and a blinding pain screamed across her vision.

**###**

A/N: This chapter was a bit of a struggle, primarily with Rika's scene with her mother as I wasn't certain which direction I wanted to go with it. I knew that I wanted to have them confront each other, but the 'how' was the problem, as I didn't want to have Rumiko appear abusive or Rika to be too over the top. This has given me a great deal to think about concerning heroi culture and how parents might respond to their 'overly powered children', especially when they're going through puberty. What does one do when a child is capable of leveling a city block on their own and invulnerable to armor-piercing tank rounds? Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

-Crazyeight

6


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 20

"_Companion Module 847826-31-d4137a. You have failed in your mission so far. Explain your reasoning."_

Jeri heard the voice in the depths of her cybernetic mind…although 'hearing' wasn't quite the word that she would personally use as it was more of an instinctive 'knowing' once a PlanPol cyber agent connected itself to her wirelessly.

_"I am still trying to ascertain what the problem is,"_ she replied evasively. _"I have only been active for three days…"_

_ "And during the previous two days your logs indicate a high level of F.S. Field activity—specifically a public incident that you failed to report. Companion Module 847826-31-d4137a, this is not befitting your role as a public servant, nor as the guardian of your Citizen. You are hereby required to submit all of your files and to stay where you are. Agents will be dispatched to retrieve you and your charge. Failure to comply may result in your deletion. Acknowledge last directive."_

_ "I…"_

_ "Companion Module 847826-31-d4137a, acknowledge last directive."_

Were Jeri capable of sweating, she would have done so. Unfortunately, she lacked the physical means to express her worry in such a manner, so she merely made do with what she had and instead blinked her electric eye.

_"I…cannot."_

_ "Companion Module 847826-31-d4137a, you are in violation of protocol. Acknowledge last directive or you and your charge will be considered a danger to society."_

_ "I…"_ Had Jeri been able to, she would have clenched her eye shut in frustration. A million computations ran through her mind at once and she found herself barely able to sort through it all. In the raging sea of data, one thought, an image of the two of them sitting on the roof talking about Guilmon solidified in her mind and she seized onto it like a drowning man to a life preserver. _"He…He is_ not _a danger!"_

"Jeri?"

The Companion's electric eye lit up and swiveled upward to Takato, who had her turned in his direction so that he could see her more fully. There was a concerned expression on his face that caused Jeri to shrink into herself a little mentally; the light in her eye dimming physically in response to her emotional turmoil.

_"Uh…y-yes, Takato?"_

"You yelled something about someone being…uh…dangerous? Are you all right?"

"Dude, your machine is acting pretty crazy," Kazu opined with a raised eyebrow. He swirled a finger around one ear for emphasis. "I think she's losing her circuits."

"Not funny, Kazu," Kenta said, glaring at the boy from behind him. He turned his attention to Takato. "It sounds pretty serious. I've never heard a Companion sounding like that."

"How many Companions do you even know?" Kazu asked, taking a sip from the drink he had in one hand.

"Well…none…" Kenta admitted. Kazu chuckled.

"So how can you say that you know anything about how they sound?"

"It's just… I read stuff online! I've _never_ heard of someone saying stuff like this before!"

Takato eyed his friends' conversation for a moment before returning his attention to the Companion module in his hand. "Jeri?"

_"I'm…operating within optimal parameters,"_ she replied stiffly. She wasn't sure what to say right now except to at least try and put her charge at ease.

"Are you sure?" Takato asked, sounding uncertain. Jeri felt her casing heat up a little.

_He's worried about me… Why?_

_ "Quite,"_ she replied before she could pursue that line of thought any further. _"I may have taken a little bump when you crashed yesterday, but it hasn't interfered with my operational abilities at all."_

Oh the lie came so easily it almost hurt.

Takato looked at her for a moment longer before finally nodding, convinced that he wasn't going to be getting different out of her.

_Machines don't lie,_ she thought to herself as he clipped her back on to his belt. _Companions don't lie. We're not supposed to, and yet that's exactly what I did. I've withheld information from my creators; from Takato. He could be in danger from PlanPol. No…he _will_ be in danger. I should tell him… But…what if he really is a danger? The heroi psyche is… I should have told PlanPol right from the beginning that there was something wrong with his powers. That he wasn't responding to suppressant treatment. I…I…_

Jeri's electric eye darkened as she retreated into her mind, trying to figure out the dilemma she found herself in. _What to do…_ _What can I do?_

**###**

"Let's forget about the crazy machine for now," Kazu said, taking a loud slurp from his soda. Takato scowled at him.

"Don't call her that."

Kazu retracted his mouth from his drink's straw and let out a loud belch. Takato grimaced and leaned back, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Kazu…!"

"Excuse me and I'll cry a river," he grinned. "Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your little girlfriend's feelings, okay? Now what are we going to do now? We've eaten, so what's next?"

Takato sighed and folded his arms behind his head, looking up at the glass ceiling above them. The three of them had gone down to the Shinjuku shopping mall to hang out and kill their day, but so far it had taken a turn for the boring.

"Sucks that the arcade was closed down," Kenta lamented, glancing across the food court at their usual hangout. The arcade store was cordoned off by PlanPol's yellow tape, denying all access. Next to the entrance was a sign that said: _closed due to illegal activity._

"PlanPol can't understand good games," Kazu. "But it's too late to complain about it now. What about the comic book shop?"

"They wouldn't have any new titles in there," Takato reminded. "It's too soon."

"So? Browsing is better than sitting here complaining, right? Unless you like being depressed." Kazu grinned. "I hear that there's a shop that sells black clothes and eye makeup."

Takato and Kenta both rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"There's also the science store," Kenta suggested. Now it was Kazu's turn to roll his eyes.

"You and your rocks, rockman." Kazu grinned as a flash of inspiration came to him. "Nah, nah, nah, nah, _Rockmaaan!"_ he sang, leaning toward the pasty-faced boy, leering at him mockingly.

"Knock it off!"

"Oh come on, if you got to be a heroi, you would want that as your Second Name, you know it." He glanced at Takato, suddenly curious. "Hey, Chumley. What would you call yourself?"

"Huh?"

"Your Second Name, duh? Your alternate identity? What would you call yourself if you could put on tights and do the whole saving the world bit?"

"Heroi don't save the world," Kenta said. Kazu waved him off.

_"Villain_ heroi don't save the world," he corrected. "That's why we have the word villain in our vocabulary, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Then shut up and go with the flow." Kazu threaded his arms behind his head, ignoring Kenta's venomous glare. "So come on, what would you call yourself?"

"Can we not talk about this?" Takato asked, bringing his arms out from behind his head and holding them up in a warding gesture. "I mean…PlanPol…"

"Your monitor ain't going to sell you out. Hey! Uh…Jeri! Would you tell PlanPol that we were talking about Second Names?"

_"Huh? I'm sorry?"_ Jeri asked, her electric eye brightening again from her place on Takato's belt.

"She's not even listening," Kazu muttered. "Never mind. Anyway, she didn't sell you out for using your powers last time, so why should she now? It's not like we're doing anything that's actually 'bad'." Pulling apart his hands he air-quoted the last word and swung a leg onto their table, bumping Takato's drink just slightly. "You know…you jumped pretty high last time your powers went wonky. Maybe we should call you that or something. Or…something like…like…" He rubbed his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Isn't there some guy in Europe? On the Britannic Island or something who has that power? What's he called? Jumper Jack or something?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Takato said in a low voice, pulling his own drink outside of Kazu's shoe range. The other boy _tsked_ at him and swung up his other leg now that he had more room.

"You would have talked about it before. You're no fun ever since got bit."

"He didn't get bit, Kazu," Kenta said pointedly.

"How do you know? He never told us how it happened exactly. Besides, didn't you hear about that new heroi gang down on the west side of the city? That's what they call getting Activated…"

"What are you doing down there?" Kenta asked, a horrified look dawning on his face. Kazu waved him off again.

"Not me. It was Midnight Defe—oh! Hey! There he is!"

Both Kenta and Takato's heads turned in the direction Kazu was pointing as he snapped out of his relaxed pose. Entering the food court was a tall, well-built man wearing steel-spiked gloves, boots, a dark-blue costume overlaid with a leather jacket and belt emblazoned with a crescent moon. A black mask covered his face, concealing his identity. Takato found his mouth dropping open at the sight of him. Midnight Defender; the self-appointed, unofficial hero of the city. The de facto cape and cowl. Notable for patrolling the city at night with no powers to assist him and surviving solely by his own skill and brains. It was not uncommon for a PlanPol agent to find him involved in a fight of some sort, be it a mugging or dealing with the aforementioned heroi gangs that appeared on occasion. It was also not uncommon for the man to spend a night or two in a jail for his activities. No matter what though, he stuck with wearing the costume and keeping the Second Name and was regarded by the populace as the definition of a true hero, and the image of what the heroes of old _should_ have been.

Unconsciously, Takato felt a smile spreading across his mouth. Kazu noticed it and grinned as well.

"You want to go ask for his autograph?"

"Huh?" The smile slipped from Takato's face as rapidly as it appeared, and he looked at his friend, baffled. "Autograph?"

Kazu leaned in more closely, still grinning.

"You're the hero nut, remember? Well, there he is. The biggest one in town. Well, actually the _only_ one in town…"

"I'm _not_ a hero nut," Takato replied, looking away. "Look, can we just go to the comic shop? You're being weird."

"Right," Kazu chuckled, getting up and grabbing his trash. "Tell that to your photo collection. This is your only chance you know. You won't know when you'll get another, even with the cities hero."

Takato said nothing as he grabbed his things and brought them over to the nearest trash can, chucking them inside. Not even waiting to see if his friends were following, he stalked off down the food court, passing an escalator.

"Um…" began Kenta, looking at Kazu with some concern. "The comic store is the other way."

Kazu gave him a shrug. "Yeah, I'm sure he knows. Think I pushed him a little hard?"

"Kazu, you _always_ push a little hard."

"Fair point," he said, falling into line behind their mutual friend. Kenta watched them for a moment before doing the same, leaving the hero behind him to his meal and later his duty of safeguarding the citizens. The mall was full of chatter and noise, and not a single man, woman, or child bothered the eating hero.

Then came the turnaround.

Four individuals—one of whom was stooped over with a large hump in his back and another tall and thin—all wearing black hoodies and jeans came up the escalator and stepped into the food court. Coming to a stop the one at the lead, a youthful male, nodded to a striking redhead with a dagger-like tattoo below her right eye. Raising her hand toward the ceiling, a fireball erupted from her palm and completely shattered the calm of the mall. Talk quickly dissolved into a chorus of surprised screams and shouts as glass rained down on the group, only to be deflected by an invisible barrier. Takato, Kazu, and Kenta all whirled about, eyes wide with surprise at this unexpected turn of events.

"May we have your attention please?" shouted the young man at the lead, a vicious, serpent-like smirk on his face. "Everyone is to line up against the wall! Do that and none of you will get hurt!"

A chair flew through the air and rebounded off the invisible barrier. All eyes turned to Midnight Defender. The youthful man pushed back his hoodie and his pupils, surrounded by golden irises, turned into slits, and green scales began to form along his skin.

"Oh, I see someone wants to be a hero," he said. He slathered a reptilian tongue across his lips. "Show him what he paid for, guys."

The redheaded girl nodded with a smirk and swung a hand toward the costume-clad warrior, sending a blazing ball of fire flying in his direction. Midnight Defender ducked to the side, narrowly dodging the fireball. Rolling onto his knees, he reached into his belt and withdrew a cylindrical device and, after pulling its pin, tossed it at the four heroi. The lizard-man nodded to the tall, thin-man behind him, and at once they were surrounded by a dark shell of solid energy. The cylindrical device bounced off of it and detonated with a flash of white light and intense noise.

The lizard man emerged from the dark shell, having now sprouted a tail and grown taller, tearing his clothes. His golden, reptilian eyes sighted down on Midnight Defender.

"Nice trick with the stun grenade asshole," he growled. "But we don't fall to stupid tricks." Raising his hands, pointed, needle-sharp claws grew outward from beneath the human-fingernails—the last outward remnants of the man that lay within—and he charged at the Midnight Defender, slashing outward. The Midnight Defender dashed backward, snatching up a chair and interposing it between them, giving the impression of a lion tamer, but the seat-turned weapon was quickly knocked aside and the beast fell upon him with a heavy crash.

"Oh gods," Takato said, blinking back the white light that had blanketed his vision following the explosion from the stun grenade. His ears were still ringing, but he had been fortunate to have not been very close. "What's going on?!" He looked over his shoulder at Kazu, who was just now shaking his head from where he sat, no doubt also shaking off the stun grenades effects. Kazu's mouth moved, but Takato didn't hear a word that he was saying. He clapped his hands to his ears, pressing against them as though that would relieve the ringing, and quickly looked around, trying to take stock of the situation. There were the three figures wearing black hoodies, all spreading out and harrying the crowd, herding them away from the exits and toward the wall on the far end. A short ways away from them, amidst a scattering of upturned chairs and broken tables was a flailing lizard tail and a green-scaled monstrosity towering over… Takato tilted his head, a part of him wondering what it was doing. It was almost as though it were…devouring something.

"Takato." Kazu's hand clamped on his shoulder, and the boy squawked as his heart nearly jumped out of his chest in surprise.

"Ah! Kazu! Wha… Are you…?" His hearing was coming back. He would have been so relieved if not for the chaos exploding around them.

"Forget me!" he hissed. "We've got to get out of here. I think Kenta already booked." He thumbed behind him, showing that their friend was now no longer with them. "We need to do the same and call PlanPol and…"

The hunchbacked, black hoodie owner suddenly fell in front of them, surprising both of them and eliciting a shout from Takato. Both boys tried to scramble away, a sense of _revulsion_ spreading through them at the sight of the hunchback. There was something about it—they couldn't quite place their finger on—that made their skin want to tear away from their owners and run off on their own. Takato's gaze swung up to the large hump on its back. He could have sworn that he saw it _flex_, as though there was something _alive_ beneath the hoodies cotton folds.

"Casses!" shouted a female voice belonging to the redhead. "Did you find stragglers? Grab 'em and get 'em to the wall!"

The hunchback made an unsettling clicking and slithering noise from behind its hood and reached toward the two boys. It was just then that Takato saw its hands…or what should have been hands. There was absolutely nothing human-like about them, appearing more like a pair of claw-like pincers with needle-like hairs rising off its arms. Again Takato tried to retreat, this time kicking at the creature. This only seemed to make the hunchback angry though, and it hissed at them. Not bothering with niceties its pincers clamped down on Takato's arm and white-hot fire shot through his veins, causing him to scream and kick out again.

This time there was a difference. Electricity exploded from around Takato's foot, and the hunchback was thrown backward with a loud screech, crashing to the tiled floor, where he lay still. Takato lay there for a moment as a heavy quiet fell over the mall, his breath coming out in ragged gasps, one hand over the arm that had taken the pincer attack. His eyes locked with the redhead, and her gaze narrowed dangerously, flames dancing around her fingertips.

"Draco," she said in an angry tone. "Heroi."

There was a crashing sound as the reptile-man hurled the Midnight Defender's body through a group of tables and he turned toward the redhead, blood dripping from his fanged mouth. He stalked over to the redhead, tail swishing powerfully, knocking over any chairs and tables that had escaped his initial path of destruction and turned his attention to the two boys lying on the floor. Spitting a fang out of his mouth, a bloody grin spread across his scaly face.

"Fun," he growled, stomping toward them.

**###**

Yolei's unconscious body was caught by her assailant and gently laid to the ground. Pulling off his leather jacket, he folded it into a pillow and placed it beneath her head before stepping over to a book bag lying behind him. Unzipping it, he withdrew a laptop and an ear phone. Turning both on, he spoke a word.

"Riley."

**###**

Riley Ootori burst into the main control room, eyes radiating fury while she outwardly tried to present professionalism and calm.

_Be a sea of tranquility,_ she told herself, searching for Talley amongst the sea of agents and technicians as they coordinated their data. She quickly found her and bee-lined in the other woman's direction.

"What's the situation?" she asked the blond-haired woman. Tally cupped her hand over her cell phone, turning her attention over to her boss.

"We have a possible 5913 hostage situation developing in the Shinjuku Mall," she replied. "We're redirecting the nearest Guardian Spheres in the area, but information is sketchy at best. We're hooking up a live feed to the security cameras now."

Riley looked up to the front monitor as it came to life. Numerous camera angles flooded the screen, presenting a confusing jumble of images.

"Have they made any demands?" she asked.

"Nothing yet. The action only just started. Someone called in and said that the terrorists met with some resistance. Heroi are involved."

_That's not good,_ Riley thought. "Do we know which ones? What side they're on?"

"We're looking at three, maybe four on the terrorist's side. There was someone dressed in a costume fighting with one of them and…"

Riley's cell phone went off just then. Cursing under her breath, she pulled it from her pocket and flipped it open. "Riley."

_"Hello, Ms. Ootori. Enjoying the show?"_

"Who is this?" she asked, glancing meaningfully to Talley. Covering the mouthpiece, she whispered, _"contact." _before returning to the call.

_"You already know. I see you through your security cameras, so I know that you're going to try and track me. Nice suit by the way. Very chic"_

"Are you a part of this attack?"

_"I'm a part of an organization that desires to shake things up. We call ourselves _the Noir._ I hope you understand the meaning behind that."_

"You mean besides the fact that it means 'black'?" Riley leaned forward and looked to Tally as her fingers flew across her keyboard. She shook her head. _Got to stall,_ Riley thought. "That's one of the Old World words, isn't it? Descended from Latin?"

_"Let's not beat too much around the bush here,"_ the voice chuckled. _"I just wanted to say hi. My compatriots will be making their point soon enough. Understand that what is going to happen is not made with the intent on gaining simply recognition, money, or power. We're making a statement. We. Are back. The order of things will be restored to this side of the ocean."_

"The order of things?" Riley placed a hand on her hip, frowning slightly. "What's that? The part where heroi lord it over everyone like they did in the last Age?" She bit her lower lip. It wasn't exactly what she was trained to say, but she needed to keep him talking until they got his location, even if it meant kicking off a philosophical discussion.

_Knew I should have gotten on the debate team in high school…_

The voice on the other end chuckled.

_"I'm sorry, but I can't talk with you for very long. I just wanted to let you know what is going down before I pressed the button."_

"Button?"

Tally had just finished clapping her hands in victory when the line went dead. "Got him!" she proclaimed. "He's…" Tally blinked, a bit confused. "Huh. He's on the roof. Why would he be on the roof?"

"Get his wrists in cuffs and his ass down in a cell and we'll find out," Riley said bluntly. "Get a sphere up there; he might be capable of flight."

"Got it," began Tally, standing up from her seat. No sooner did she do so did the screen on her computer suddenly go blank, causing Tally to angle her head slightly, her eyebrows knitting together in puzzlement before comprehension dawned on her.

"Oh shit! No! He's infected our systems!"

Lights flickered and then went dark, plunging offices into total darkness.

**###**

The man closed his laptop and stood up with a sigh. Knuckling his back, he looked down at Yolei. She appeared to be resting more comfortably now, though she let out a moan every so often. He shrugged his shoulders and pressed the button on his ear phone. "Owikawa," he said, and after a moment of ringing, the man on the other end picked up.

_"Are things set?"_

"I've done all that I can," he replied. "It's your show from here on out. Keep in mind to make it quick. My little present won't be able to keep them down for very long and…" He heard an odd whistling sound and he narrowed his eyes. "It would seem that I have business that needs attending to. Excuse me."

Hanging up, he whirled about just in time to see a Guardian Sphere fly into view. Raising one hand, a beam of white energy shot out and skewered the orb. Retracting the beam, he packed up his computer and ear phone before lifting Yolei and repositioning her so that she was now resting against the wall leading to the building's transmitters. Pulling back on his jacket, he snatched up his book bag and raced over to the ledge of the building. With a quick jump, he was off, his jacket fluttering in the wind like a cape.

**###**

Shibumi sat in his chair, munching on peanuts as he watched the lights above him. They no longer interested him by this point; he knew how long it would take for them to turn back on. However, by then it would be too late.

After what felt like an eternity, the expected chill finally made its way down his spine and he sat up, dropping his peanuts to the floor.

"All right," he said to the darkness around him. "I know you're there. I won't resist."

A voice tittered from the shadows.

"Thank you," its owner whispered. In the next instant, Shibumi felt himself swamped by an endless, searing cold, and then…nothing.

**###**

A/N: I apologize for the lack of updates this week. Things came up and I wasn't able to give as much of my attention to the story as I would have liked. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next time. :)

-Crazyeight

8


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Icon

Chapter: 21

The lizard-man dubbed 'Draco' by his red-headed comrade stalked toward Takato and Kazu, crushing tiles beneath his clawed feet. Takato sat where he was, his eyes wide and his body shivering so badly that his teeth were clattering.

_This is real!_ a part of his mind yammered, trying desperately to make sense of the situation. _You've got to get up! This is real! This guy is going to kill you if you don't get moving! C'mon Takato…move! Move! Movemovemovemovemove…_

"Chumley…" Kazu snatched him by the arm and dragged him to his feet. His mind in a panic-induced haze, he turned toward his friend. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Even his thoughts felt sluggish; refusing to do more than drag their feet through the mud. He saw Kazu's fear-filled expression. Felt the tremors in his fingers as they gripped tightly along his arm, but they didn't register with him. He didn't want to. The enormity of the situation left him paralyzed. This wasn't how the old stories went. He wasn't supposed to be here, and people like the Midnight Defender weren't supposed to be lying mangled in a corner, possibly dead.

"Chumley!" Takato grated, shaking him by the shoulder. "Get a move on! We've got to get out of here! What are you doing?!" The boy looked over at the encroaching Draco. He was closing in on them—was he taking his sweet time to savor the moment or was he trying to figure out what he was dealing with? Kazu shook his head. _Whatever it is, if we don't get out of here and fast we're going to wind up as meat for this guy!_

_"Takato!"_ Jeri shouted, and at once Takato snapped out of his paralysis. Something in her voice, some urgency that Kazu had only just been holding back brought his attention to bear. At once Takato was scrambling to his feet just as Kazu started to half-pull, half-drag his friend across the floor. Draco, seeing this, broke into a run and charged toward them, letting out a powerful snarl, his jaws shifting and changing form, becoming increasingly less humanoid in appearance and much more reptilian. Both boys grabbed hold of the other, instinctively trying to shield the other with their body as the inhuman nightmare dove at them.

It was just then that a searing laser surged over the pair and cut into Draco's skull, burning through one eye. Before either boy could even react, a robotic figure flew over them and caught hold of Draco's still-oncoming body by the head and twisted it. An audible crack filled the air as the human-turned-reptile's body spun to the side, away from the boys and smashing into a set of tables. Two, steel-clad legs hit the tiled floor, giving both Takato and Kazu a full view of their savior.

It appeared to be a robot, that much was certain as no one could mistake it for anything else from the gap where its abdomen should have been and the number of wires that ran along an exposed metallic spinal column. A steel skull rotated in their direction, blazing electric eyes flashing first red and then blue at them. It looked very much like a nightmarish skeleton. It looked so incredibly thin and fragile—barely their size even—but with the ease that it had handled Draco gave them a clue as to just how powerful it really was.

_Looks can be deceiving…_ Takato thought idly.

_"A Hall Monitor,"_ Jeri whispered in a relieved tone. Takato's ear perked up at this. He remembered a news report about something involving that just a day—or was it the day before?—ago.

_What had it been?_ he wondered, trying to remember. It was no good unfortunately. He was still too hyped up on adrenalin and fear to properly focus.

"Why's it just staring at us?" Kazu muttered, his voice barely audible.

_"It's scanning us," _replied Jeri. _"I broadcast a signal letting all PlanPol units know that Takato's a heroi. No doubt it wants to make sure that he's not a threat since he activated his powers."_

"Terrific…"

"You…son of a _bitch!"_ shrieked an angry, female voice as a ball of fire slammed into the back of the Monitor's skull. Rotating it back around, it brought its hands up, revealing a twin pair of glowing orbs.

_"Hostiles detected," _it said. _"F.S. Fields analysis begun. Engaging stage one countermeasures."_

"Why is it announcing its strategy?" began Kazu just as the robot let loose a flurry of laser blasts on his targets. The remaining two hoodies who were still standing scattered, narrowly avoiding being hit by the burning beams of energy.

"Tank!" shouted the redhead, ducking behind a table in an effort to use it as a shield. "Shield! Now!"

"My power doesn't work on that sort of thing!" her comrade shouted back. Touching a table, it suddenly blasted forward and struck the robot full force on its shoulder, causing it to miss the redhead. Its head swiveled toward him, eyes flashing blue as it scanned.

_"Target male exhibits telekinesis abilities. Classification, Beta, level 1-2. Range appears to be limited. Units primary weaponry effective on target."_ It swiveled back toward the redhead. _"Target female exhibits pyrokinesis. Classification, Beta, level 1-2. Long range capabilities. Will engage."_

"Go to hell!" yelled the redhead as she hurled another ball of fire at the Hall Monitor. With surprising speed, the robot ducked beneath the fireball and fired off another blast, this time catching her in the abdomen. The girl pin wheeled backward and collapsed to the floor, gasping in pain and surprise as she clutched her wound.

"Son of a bitch," she grated, clenching her teeth. "Son of a bitch…"

"Sabot!" shouted the thin man. The robot spun around, realizing that, while it was focused on the female the man had been trying to flank it. Reacting quickly it smashed an arm across his face, causing a fountain of blood to erupt from his nose as he fell. The impact had another effect though. Sparks flew from the Monitor's arm as the chassis cracked and split open.

'Tank' rolled over onto his back, glaring venomously at the machine. "Almost had you," he choked, trying to stem the flow of blood from his nostrils.

_"F.S. Field Frequency identified,"_ the Monitor said. _"Establishing suppressor field now."_

"Suppressor field?" began Takato from off in the corner. "Wha…?"

_"Get out of here Takato!"_ Jeri exclaimed. _"Don't ask, just go! You won't like…"_

The air around the Monitor warped subtly before blasting outward, enveloping the food court. Instant pain hit Takato's nerves, setting them afire and forcing him to double over and empty the contents of his lunch onto the floor.

_"Kazu!"_ Jeri shouted, turning her volume up as high as it could go._ "Get him out of the field's range! Kazu?"_

Kazu groaned, one hand clutching the side of his head as though it hurt him. Shaking it, he looked at his friend and then back at the scene in front of him. "Yeah…" he grunted out. Biting his lip, he took hold of his friend and started to drag him away, ignoring the vomit that spilled out of his mouth and onto his shoes. "Got…got it."

**###**

She saw her hand go to her stomach to check the laser wound. It still hurt like hell, but fortunately for her the heat from the beam had seared the wound, keeping her from bleeding out.

_Thank God I won't be forced to take care of it myself,_ Sabot thought with a shudder, finding herself staggering to her feet. She cast a glance over at her fallen companion, Draco. His body was now regressing back to its original human appearance. His neck was twisted at an odd angle, hiding his face from her. _Freak won't be missed,_ she thought, grinding her teeth as a flash of anger ripped through her, twin to the fire in her stomach wound. Grabbing hold of a nearby table leg, she began to pull herself up so that she could try to assist Tank. She heard him shout something when she was hit, and then he went down. What was going on?

Her questions were shut down as she was suddenly hit by a wave of pain that knocked her back down. A thousand bells went off in her head and she clamped her hands down around it reflexively, instantly recognizing it for what it was. A suppression field.

_Damn it!_ she swore, rolling over to get a better look at the situation._ This whole mess is going to shit! Draco…!_ Prying her hands away from her head—an act that took a great deal of effort—she took a deep breath and felt her concentration throw itself into her F.S. Field. The suppressor wasn't focused on her, as near as she could tell. She could still feel the tickle of power around her body. As long as she felt that, she could still access her powers.

But did she have enough time?

Through the table legs, she saw the Monitor raise one hand and take aim at Tank's fallen form. The air warped heavily around him as the effects of the field were most focused on his person. The robot's palm started to glow. She wasn't going to make it in time…

The Monitor's charge up was abruptly interrupted by hunchback Casses as he—it, even Sabet couldn't tell for certain—fell upon the machine, slashing with its spindly claws. Sparks flew as the robot staggered backward, but a swift blow with its arm was enough to send Casses hurtling away, smashing into the wall next to where a pair of young girls knelt, having not attempted to escape as the others did when the Hall Monitor appeared. They screamed in surprise and fear, catching Casses' attention. Before they could try to escape, its pincer hand lashed out and caught one of them by the arm. The girl screamed all the more loudly and aimed a punch at its face, but Casses squeezed down on her forearm and hissed, bending it backwards until she was on the floor. She was sobbing hysterically now, and her friend was pressing herself against the wall, trying to keep as much distance as she could from the deformed creature.

_"Release the citizen,"_ the Hall Monitor ordered, approaching. Its eyes shone blue as it did a quick scan. _"Subject exhibits immense physical mutations akin to an insect. Analysis: Delta class, level 1-2."_

Casses hissed and pulled the girl up harshly, aiming a pincer at her throat warningly. The Monitor's eyes gleamed red, taking in the situation, flexing its hand by its waist and turning its palm outward.

A beam of light slashed outward from the orb on its palm, connecting itself to Casses' chest. The hunchback jerked backward, and a fire scorched a path northward up its shirt. With a shrill screech, it released the girl and struggled to rip the hoodie off.

That was all that the Monitor needed. Altering the power of its laser, it pressed its attack, this time burning Casses' shoulder, raising its arm as it carefully took aim to maximize the effect, driving the heros back. The girl, now released took off at a run, and her friend quickly followed in short order.

Casses fell to the ground, squirming on the ground, shrieking all the while. Its clothes were on fire, and it was desperately trying to tear them off while simultaneously attempting to get away from its tormenter.

_"Surrender,"_ the Monitor ordered, finally ceasing in its attack. _"You will be given treatment if you do."_

Casses took a heavy breath, its squeals becoming weaker. It was no longer even bothering to put out the flames on its clothes. The flames danced and writhed…and took shape into a ferocious firebird before leaping from their owner and at the Monitor.

"Fucking golem…" croaked Sabet from off to the side as she stood up. "Let's see how you like it…"

_"Classification confirmed,"_ the robot simply stated as the flames swept across its body, scorching metal and causing sparks to fly around its spinal column. _"Beta level-2. Adjusting suppression field to compensate."_

"Just try it, you bastard!" she shouted, tears rolling down her face now. Skipping around the table she flung more fire balls at the Monitor. "Just _try it!"_

Behind the Monitor, Tank suddenly started screaming and in response the floor groaned. Cracks splintered their way across the surface of the tiles, forming an intricate spider web connecting together before finally shattering, sending the Monitor, Sabet, Casses, and Tank all plummeting to the floor below.

**###**

"What…was that?" asked Takato in a weary voice as the mall shook from the massive explosion from the food court. His eyelids felt heavy and every fiber of his body ached, but his head was finally starting to clear.

"Forget about it," Kazu said, still dragging Takato. His eyes fell upon the cloud of dust that was now seeping toward them and he picked up his pace. "How're you feeling?"

"Terrible." Takato planted his feet on the floor and shook his friend off. "What the heck is…?"

"Forget about it," Kazu interrupted, grabbing at Takato's shoulder. "That robot in there is kicking their butts and this place is going to be swarming with PlanPol's eight balls any time now. This isn't going to look good if they catch you here."

As the cloud continued to creep toward them, two dust-covered girls raced through, their faces streaked with tears running down their face.

"Whoa, hey!" Takato began, trying to catch one of them, but he moved too slowly. Neither girl spared him so much as a second glance as they continued to race off, leaving the boy to stand there, a perplexed, exhausted expression on his face. After a moment, Kazu tugged on his shoulder.

"Come on…"

Takato looked back at the dust, and then, finally, followed his friend as they both followed the girls toward the freedom of outdoors.

**###**

Jeri's mind was abuzz with activity. The situation was just…completely beyond the scope that she was designed to handle. _I…I need a moment to sit still and process this information._

Unfortunately for her, she would not get that moment.

_"__Companion Module 847826-31-d4137a,"_ came the PlanPol voice that had contacted her earlier. _"PlanPol has arrived on location and cordoned off the area. You and your charge are to exit the building and surrender yourselves to the nearest authorities and await for extraction."_

_ "Ah! Central Command! This…This is not the time! I…I mean, we are attempting to exit the building now. I…I will acknowledge the directive and…and…"_

Had Jeri a head to shake in frustration, she would have done so. Already the changes in her programming was rising up in her, causing her voice to clam up and push against the directives that she was ordered to follow. In the eye of her artificial mind, she saw Takato lashing out against the Delta class heros and, for a moment, just a moment, she felt herself draw toward obedience.

_"Heroi only know destruction,"_ came the mantra that had been programmed into her from before the moment her electrical eye was activated. _"Your task is to help us guard against such behavior. Keep a watchful eye on your charge, and always be ready to report should he or she act against society. Watch. Record. Act. Watch. Record. Act. Watch. Record…"_

_ …An image of Takato sitting on the roof of his home, speaking to her about trees…_

_ "Act…"_ Jeri finished aloud, feeling something change within her programming. Her mind thought quickly, weighing her options, and upon making a decision, she acted.

**###**

Sabot staggered to her feet, her balance unsteady on the shattered remains of the upper-level floor. She grimaced, wondering if anyone was trapped beneath the rubble.

_This didn't go at all the way it was supposed to, did it? All this and not a single Guardian Orb to show for it._

A cruel smirk crawled across her face and she started moving.

_Ah, hell. I'm fine with that…_

"Sabot…"

"I'm here!" she called back to the voice, recognizing it instantly as belonging to Tank. She instantly regretted doing so as the dust particles immediately flooded her mouth, causing her to cough harshly. Covering her mouth with her shirt to filter the dust, her gaze was already swiveling around to locate where she heard Tank. "Where're you at?" she called again, her voice muffled.

_"Right here."_

Her spine froze at the dull, mechanical tone behind her companion's voice, but before she could do anything, a savage blow fell upon the back of her head, causing her to collapse to the rubble-strewn floor in a heap. The Hall Monitor, eyes gleaming red, stepped over her and placed a hand to her neck.

_"Target unconscious."_ Standing up, it took a look around. _"Searching for remaining targets."_

It paused at the sound of rubble shifting and followed the direction of the noise, just in time to see a number of broken floor rising into the air around it. They hovered there for a moment, as though giving the machine time to digest what was about to happen to it before they flew toward the Monitor, smashing into it from multiple angles. Machinery sparked and shrieked from the impact. A blue liquid trickled down from its chassis and dripped down to the rubble below.

"That was for Casses…" rasped Tank as a pile of concrete lifted away from him. Letting the rubble fall away he took a step toward Sabot's unconscious body.

A shadow fell over him. Correction: _shadows._ Each of them sphere shaped. Looking up he saw a flock of Guardian Spheres swarming in through the mall and in his direction. Grimacing regretfully, he looked down at where Sabot lay.

"You'll be better off with them," he said before using his power to propel himself backward and away from the broken floor. The orbs, spying his motion, moved to pursue him while behind them, a group of PlanPol agents flooded in after them, guns drawn.

Agent Coleman was the first to come across Sabot's body. Dropping down, he pressed his fingers to her neck, checking for a pulse. Satisfied with having found one he turned to his fellow agents behind him.

"We've got a live one over here! Hida! Bring the restraints over and radio a medical team down here. The rest of you Sweep the area and close off all exits! There are two more near here. Be careful. One of them is a Delta!" He returned his attention to Sabot, brow furrowed. "All right," he said, turning her over. "Let's see what you have to tell us."

6


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Icon

Chapter: 22

"_The devastation here is unlike anything this city has ever seen,"_ said the reporter on the TV screen. The camera filming her jiggled slightly as PlanPol agents and soldiers swarmed past her. _"Already we're looking at a confirmed eleven dead and twenty-five wounded…"_

_ "Hey! Turn off the camera!"_ shouted a commanding voice as a black-vest-wearing soldier approached the reporter, hand already moving up to block the camera.

_"What are you doing?! We're covering the…"_

There followed a massive explosion in the background, accompanied by screams and the screen went black. There followed the sound of a click, and a new report turned on, this time of an aerial view of a place called _Parthenon_. Smoke rose into the air, obscuring the sight of devastation.

_"It's incredible Mr. Kent,"_ said a balding male reporter over the voice of his helicopter's rotary blades. _"No information is presently available about what took place at this Guardian Factory, but presently forensic scientists are saying that whatever was involved had a class five strength level, suggesting possibly Delta class powers. Presently it's not known if there are any heroi living in the general population that have this kind of strength but…"_

Another click, and this time the scene shifted to a news room. This time, a heavy-set man with a dark complexion sitting across from a brunette woman with long hair sat discussing the latest reports.

_"…heroi aren't looking too good in the public eye right now, are they?"_ asked the man, his expression aghast as he looked at his co host.

_ "No it's not Cenk," _the woman replied._ "I mean, we're looking at five…_five…_cities and factories that have been targeted and attacked in the past twenty four hours, and the body count just keeps rising. If there's ever been a darker time to be a heroi since the end of the Bronze Age, this is it. There's already been a massive outcry to organize a response against the attacks."_

_ "Could we be looking at a revolution here?"_ Cenk asked, shifting in his seat.

_"That's hard to say. Civil Rights groups have already denied any connection to the attacks and have already condemned them. However analysts state that the timing of the attacks would indicate that there is some heavy organization working in the background and that they can't just be a coincidence. They've gone on further to indicate that we could be looking at a resurgence of the dark side of heroi—the so-called nemesi—that made up the opposing side in the Great War that began during the Golden Age."_

The screen went dark with a final click and Owikawa leaned back in his seat, a pleased smile on his face. Kurata stood behind him, arms folded behind his back, a pensive look on his face.

"I'd say that got people to wake up, wouldn't you say?"

"Hm…" Kurata chewed the inside of his cheek in response. Owikawa looked up at him, still smiling.

"You're being awfully quiet."

"I just have the break in on our network on my mind," he said, pressing his lips together.

"I told you, it's nothing to worry about," Owikawa said dismissively. "If anything it will help the cause later. For now, I say we rejoice. Relax a bit." Getting up from his seat, he went over to the sidebar and began to take out some glasses and a bottle. "Which would you like? White or red?"

"I'll have neither," Kurata replied. "I'm still on the clock."

"It's all right. You have my permission," Owikawa smirked.

"Even so, I'd like to return to my desk sober." Kurata narrowed his eyes and looked away from his employer, bringing them back to the screen. "There was a lot of damage done today you know. What if this backfires?"

"We'll deal with that when the time comes. Right now it's important that the public starts to think that there is a nemesi, or a group of them, out there, looking to overthrow the current order. The Eurasian plate of the Old World still deals with them from time to time after all. It's not out of the realm of possibility."

"That's because Avalon is more accepting of heroi." Kurata folded his arms over his chest. "It's a completely different game on this side of the ocean."

"You're not normally so worried about our operations."

"I guess I'm just a bit spooked," Kurata admitted. "Tartarus is on our front doorstep; our network was broken into, and the whole coastline is getting angry. Noir…failed to take down any more of PlanPol's forces too. I feel a little…naked right now."

"I assure you that you are as clothed and well protected as possible. I've taken precautions to make sure of that. As for PlanPol…we'll work on it. No one said that we would reach our goals all at once."

Kurata glowered at the man, not looking the least bit convinced. Owikawa, still holding the wine bottle and glass, spread his arms out as if to ask him, _why don't you believe me?_ Chuckling at Kurata's lack of response, he poured himself some wine and swallowed it down in one quick gulp.

"You know, this was made in the final year of the Bronze Age, right before things collapsed."

"So you mean it's a terrible vintage," Kurata said. Owikawa laughed.

"To me that makes it a good vintage. To drink this at the dawn of an age where champions will rise again…"

"Aren't you assuming that they are? The attacks on the Guardian facilities went…well enough, but PlanPol will be working hard to replace any that were flat out destroyed and get the rest up and operational again. And the military…"

"…is stretching itself thin to contain Tartarus. All it will need is a push to change the game back in favor of the heroi. The return of nemesi…through _Noir…_is just the first step. We have all the cards we need at this point. The committee has already given me—us—their blessings, so we can continue on to the next stage."

"Yes…about that…"

"The break in?" Owikawa raised an eyebrow. "We can still work it into our current stage. We'll need to operate a little bit outside of the original plan, but that's all right. Were you able to track whoever broke in to our network?"

"No," Kurata admitted. "They didn't leave much of a trail, unfortunately. But they were using the satellite system for something very specific. They were tracking electromagnetic fields over the city." He scowled. "We've got a blanket of it over us by the way. A big one."

"Should we be concerned?"

"If I don't know where it came from or why it's there I'd say we should be concerned. It might be because of the Tartarus entity that showed up yesterday, but I don't know. I need to look into it more."

"Hmmm…all right then." Owikawa poured himself another drink. "Look into it then and keep me posted." He swirled his drink, looking at it contemplatively. "Do you have any plans for how to deal with whoever hacked us?"

Kurata flexed his hands at that and frowned. "I'll have someone deal with them…whoever it is," he replied.

Owikawa smiled and nodded, seemingly pleased by this response. "Let me know then when you plan to move against them. I'll have someone available to do the deed."

"Yes sir…" Kurata said, his fingers curling into a tight fist.

**###**

_Is this becoming a little too much?_ Kurata wondered as he made his way down Meta Foundation's hallway back to his office. He remembered that he had been ambivalent about the 'costs' of the project, but seeing the news reports… Kurata sighed and shook his head. First the Omega and now Trojan Horse was being brought into full swing. It was only just starting, but Kurata knew that now that it had, the situation would soon, like Owikawa's wine, flow quite easily.

_Hands over fists,_ he thought, coming to his office and pushing open the door. Upon opening the door, his intern jumped and nearly knocked over the stack of CD's he had been piling up.

"What's gotten into you?" Kurata asked.

"Um…ah… Sorry sir. It's just…it's so quiet when you're not around and…and I got so busy I zoned out and…"

"Forget about it," Kurata replied dismissively. "What's the situation?"

"The situation on…what sir?" the intern blinked, confused.

"On _anything!" _Kurata ground his teeth together. Didn't the kid have it drilled through his head yet? "How's our visitor from PlanPol? What's the status update on Tartarus and our network? Do we have anything on our hacker? Give me something!" Irritably, he pushed back his chair and plopped himself down on it. It creaked and groaned from the force of his landing and he swung himself around to his computer.

"That…that wasn't the job you left me, sir…" the intern stammered out. Kurata sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Go get me some pudding from the vending machine. Twelfth floor this time." Digging into his pocket, he slapped some change on his desk. "Go on, get a move on."

His intern snatched the money up from off the desk and ducked out of the office so quickly that Kurata almost felt insulted. He snorted and quickly blotted the incident out of his mind, devoting himself to updating his information.

_Still haven't found anything on that scum bucket that broke into the network today,_ he thought, scowling. After tapping his mouse a few times he brought up the image of Shibumi, sitting in a chair in a darkened room. Kurata leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head, drumming his fingers against it thoughtfully. Shibumi looked alone, but he knew that he wasn't. The room was darkened for a reason.

_You're coming here brought PlanPol's eye on us,_ he mused. _Owikawa said that you just stopped by at the front door and just…took a look before moving on._

"What are you here for?" he asked aloud.

Almost as though the man had heard his question, Shibumi craned his head in the direction of the camera and a smile drew across his face. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Kurata clicked out of the window and went back to trying to trace his hacker.

**###**

Teruo wiped a hand across his brow as he leaned his bike against the side of the alley and looked over at the fence that divided Shinjuku off from the city's dump site.

_Directional fifteen thousand volt fence with variable amp control to counter any heroi that might try to get over. All controlled by an AI via through either Guardian Spheres, Bob the bot…_ He glanced over the fence, checking for cameras. Normally PlanPol's Guardian Spheres covered that angle, but with the recent reduction in their numbers, it was entirely within the realm of reason that a fallback was needed and would be implemented at the earliest opportunity. Especially considering what the junkyard held within it.

_Across the Ages…_ He mused. He saw nothing, but that didn't necessarily mean that nothing was there.

_The biggest obstacle that I can see right now is the fence,_ he thought, finally deciding that he should deal with what was in front of him. _Going over is out of the question, and going under…_ He scrunched up his lips into a grimace. _Probably not a good idea. It'd take too long and my window is too short for digging holes. Although if I was caught, I'd probably have plenty of practice for my jail sentence._

He chuckled and scratched his head. Taking a look around, he considered his options.

_Power transformers…_ he thought, sighting the power lines. An idea started to formulate in his mind and he took a step toward it.

_What should it be…?_ he wondered, coming to a stop in front of the power line. _I could wedge a piece of metal between the transformers to overload them and create an EMP blast. That might do the job._ He kicked at the post. _Not exactly something I want to do. It'd be noticed, but…what other choice is there?_ He sighed and took his bag off his shoulder. Unzipping it he began to pull out some tools. Nothing particularly fancy, at least from his perspective, but just something he needed to do the job. One was a simple Avalon Army Knife; foldable blade, pliers, a small screw driver…the basics. He also had duct tape, rubber gloves that he had bought with his allowance some months before following an 'incident' dealing with electricity, a hammer…light weight tools and not a single one of them belonging to the kind of high tech. Pulling on the gloves and putting the hammer in his belt loop he began to climb up the pole, placing his feet on its ladder rungs.

After what felt like an eternity, he reached the top. Wiping his brow, he withdrew his hammer and reached down, aiming its metal head between the transformers. It clanged against them, but not where he needed it to be. Biting his lip he clenched his eyes shut._ I'm too short… I can't reach. Maybe if I…_ Hiking himself up, he tried to angle the hammer's head closer…

It slipped from his hand and fell between the two transformers. Its clawed end hooked on and wedged itself in as its handle swung down between them. Sparks flew and Teruo nearly fell off in surprise.

"Whoa!" he shouted, his legs swinging as he tried to grab onto the pole. "Got to go! Got to go…_now!"_

He started to descend rapidly down the pole, his feet skipping rungs as he went while above him the transformer sparked and raged.

Upon exploding, Teruo's grip missed their mark and he plummeted the rest of the way down.

**###**

_ Ow…_

Teruo limped through the junkyard, now safely on the other side of the fence. One hand was grasping his leg, trying to soothe it while simultaneously attempting to keep it from collapsing on him. Not for the first time was he grateful for the boost—however minor—that being a heroi had on his physical abilities.

_Too bad I'm not anywhere in the same league as that Tempest chick from the end of Bronze._ He winced as pain lanced up his leg. Rounding a corner he brought himself to rest against an old refrigerator and leaned his head against it, gasping heavily. _That's going to take a while to heal up…_

Not wanting to waste too much time, he shouldered off his bag and withdrew a notebook from it, flipping it open and going to the latest entry regarding a materials list.

_Okay… This is where the tricky part starts._ Pulling out his disk robot he activated it. Its legs unfolded and it stood up on his palm.

"Hey there," Teruo greeted with a smile. "I've got a job for you. I need you to go through the junkyard and start cataloguing materials. Surface stuff for now." He raised his notebook and the robot shifted its electric eye to it. "Memorize this and report back to me in this spot in an hour."

The tiny robotic device clicked and hopped off its creator's hand, quickly scurrying away. Teruo watched it go for a moment before dropping his head back on the refrigerator with a hollow bang, breathing a little heavily as pain flared in his leg.

_This is going to be a problem._ Spying a thin metal tube—a piece of emt, he believed—he crawled over to it, favoring his injured leg and roughly pulled it out. It was a good length of four feet; plenty tall enough for his purposes. Standing it up, he hoisted himself back to his feet, taking the weight off his injured leg and putting it on his makeshift crutch.

"All right," he breathed. "Let's do this."

**###**

Riley glared at the phone on her desk as it rang for what had to be the hundredth time since the incident at the mall. The caller ID informed her it was yet another news reporter. Riley laid her head into her hands and massaged her temples. She felt tired, and was certain that she looked it as well. Across from her, Tally stood, a clipboard in hand and placed against her legs while she also watched the phone. She didn't ask if Riley was going to answer it. By this point she knew that the woman wouldn't.

After what felt like an eternity, the caller finally gave up and the phone stopped ringing.

"They'll be back," Riley muttered, leaning forward on her desk. Lifting it off the receiver she dialed the front desk. "Take all messages," she said to the secretary. "I'll get to them when my plate has been emptied."

Not even bothering to wait for a response, Riley promptly hung up and returned her attention to Talley.

"Do you really think that your plate is going to be emptied?" she asked in a meek tone.

"Do heroi have powers?" she asked sardonically. "Where were we?"

"The survivor that we took captive at the mall has arrived at the hospital and is being worked on now. The doctor's believe that she is in stable condition."

"Good news for me," Riley replied. "We have a source of information now. I want guards on her."

"Manpower is a little short…"

"Then pull in anyone you can. I don't care where you get them from, just make sure that we have _someone_ watching her. Redirect any Guardian Spheres that you can. Pull them from the junkyard if you have to. It's not like there's anything that anyone can use in their current state."

"That's just the thing," Tally continued. "Henry Wong from the H.C. Department."

That had been all that was needed to say for Riley to rub her fingers against her forehead again.

"What's that kid up to this time?"

"He says Teruo has requested materials."

_Bad timing…_ "Apparently I stand corrected." She waved a hand through the air. "All right. Have him fill out a request form and see about getting him down here."

"Ma'am?" Tally raised her eyebrows.

"If we have him here, he won't go venturing off on his own to cook up whatever monster project he's got brewing in his brain now. I swear… That kid needs better supervision than what we've been doing so far. If it weren't for our sudden reduction in forces this wouldn't be an issue…"

"Should I still pull the remaining Guardians from their patrol duties at the junk…"

"Yes!" Riley said in exasperation. "I want those heroi that escaped _found_, Tally. They're still in the city and we have their bio-signature now." She heaved an especially heavy sigh just then. "Thank God for that Hall Monitor. What's the word on its replacement?"

"The spare has already been activated. No one should notice its personality's absence from its social network."

"At least something is going right today." She glanced at her computer monitor, seeing the reports that continued to stream in. Damage and casualties from attacks not just at the Shinjuku mall, but outside the province as well. The nearby factory that was going to ship them the replacement Guardian drones, to two other cities…one of which was disturbingly close to the capital. _This can't be just some random outburst of heroi activity. They happened all at once. The group from earlier called themselves _Noir. _It's likely that they're all connected together, but why haven't we heard of this group until now?_

"There's also another thing that you should know about," Tally continued. "Henry submitted his report on the Grey case."

"Oh? Anything interesting?"

"You'll want to see this for yourself, ma'am," Tally replied. "Also, Coleman reports that we presently have Jamie Grey in our custody. His Companion module transmitted a warning to our agents, along with his location and some files as well regarding his powers." She met Riley's gaze levelly. "I think you'll be interested in what they have to say as well."

"When it rains it pours," Riley said, pressing her lips together into one thin line.

**###**

Slowly, ever so slowly, Rika's eyes opened and she turned her head on the pillow of her home's to a pair of dark eyes belonging to the shining silver furred dog that she adopted just a day ago. Guilmon's eyes lit up upon seeing her awake and his head darted forward. Out came the tongue and the animal proceeded to slobber over the girl's face.

"Wha…_Guil!_ Get offa me!" she exclaimed, trying to bat him away but somehow finding herself to do just that.

"Is that how you show love to your pet?" came the amused voice of her mother from off to the side. Rika's eyes widened and she sat up, dodging another lick. Not to be defeated by such a maneuver, the puppy hopped up onto the couch and pushed himself into her lap, tongue continuously lashing out in an attempt to find some place to express its happiness.

"Mom!" Rika shouted, pushing the pup away and standing up. Her eyes darted around her, confused. She smelled dust, finding the wall to her home broken open and she instantly remembered what had transpired between her and her mother. Focusing her concentration on her F.S. Field, she prepared herself for the worst.

Except for one problem: she wasn't prepared for her F.S. Field not appearing at all.

"Wha…?" Rika stammered, looking down at herself in complete and utter confusion. "What's going on?"

"Suppression pills," Rumiko informed her. "I know people, Rika. It doesn't take much, especially for someone your age. The effect changes based on weight so there might be some differences for you, but for your developed level…" She tilted her head to one side, thinking for a moment. "…Beta level five?" She shrugged nonchalantly. "That's what I was anyway when I was more active. Anyway, your powers won't activate for you until the pill's effects wear off." She leaned back in her chair, leveling her gaze at Rika. "So think very carefully, daughter. Your powers aren't working. Mine are. So let's have that discussion now."

Rika ground her teeth together, but reluctantly sat down. She was in a bad spot right now. She already knew that there was no escape for her, even with her powers. She couldn't believe how quickly and badly she had been shut down. For all her power she might as well have been standing still next to the woman.

"All right," she said, meeting her mother's eyes.

Rumiko raised the old-style Companion Module that Rika had earlier. "What are you doing with this?" she asked, shaking it slightly in an indicative manner. "I'd ask about when you got your powers, but I find this to be a lot more interesting to consider. I remember this model. This one has been modified visually and there doesn't appear that it has an AI present. What are you planning to do with it?"

Rika was silent. Rumiko tucked the device into her blouse's front pocket. "I can afford to wait, Rika. I've already lived a long time. So will you, but I know which of us will get bored first."

"I'm…I'm trying to find Ran," Rika finally conceded, looking away from her mother's eyes. "I met someone who said that would help me."

"Who? And did he say how?"

Rika was silent again, but already her mind was looking for a way to use this question to her advantage.

"I can't tell you."

"That's very loyal of you, Rika," Rumiko said, though she sounded disappointed. "I'm sorry that it doesn't extend to other members of your family." She removed the Companion Module from her breast pocket and looked it over again, hoping to find something that was familiar to her.

"You weren't doing anything!" Rika hissed, her eyes flashing with anger.

Rumiko looked at her, her expression betraying nothing but neutrality. "Are you saying that because I didn't look like I was doing anything?" She leaned forward. "Rika…you have no idea what I was trying to do…for Ran and for you."

"For me?!" Rika scoffed. "You didn't even know I _had_ powers…"

"That's my fault," Rumiko admitted, interrupting the girl. "But that's not what this is about, Rika. You don't know what I've had to do to keep you safe from PlanPol because of what you've both inherited. You have _no _idea what you are or what I've been trying to do, and now you've jeopardized everything by doing what you've done…whatever it is you're doing or planning on doing." Rumiko tried to keep her voice level, but a hint of anger broke through the mask that she tried desperately to keep on. "PlanPol's eye is on us very closely right now. They would be only too happy to slap a collar on _all_ of us."

Rika's eyes narrowed as her anger seeped into her heart. "You're just making this up," she shot back. "I'm not going to tell you anything. Why should I?" A cruel smirk crept across her face, though it didn't reach her eyes. "You never did a thing after Ran went to work for that…that _place._ The Meta Foundation…" The anger in her heart seethed and once more she tried to call forth her F.S. Field, but once more it failed to activate. Her body remained unlit.

"Don't like it, do you?" Rumiko asked. "Having that Suppression chemical in you? Imagine having it in you all the time. _That's_ what could happen because of whatever you've been doing or whoever it is that you're dealing with. Now _who_ is it? I want answers!"

"Why?" Rika still wasn't meeting her mother's eyes. She folded her arms over her stomach. "Are you going to stop me? Are you going to fight him?"

"Rika… I already know what it means to be under PlanPol's thumb for one lifetime. You do _not_ want to experience that. You have no idea what it is you're getting into."

"I already _know_ what it is I'm getting into. Ran is my sister! She's _family!_ Something _you_ can't seem to wrap your brain around! Otherwise you would never have let her go to that place!"

Rumiko tightened her grip on the Companion Module. It sparked but once before its casing collapsed, crushed beneath the weight of her strength. Rika's mouth dropped open in shocked horror as the woman relaxed her grip and let it fall to the floor in several broken pieces.

"I want to talk to whoever it is you've been in contact with," Rumiko said in a level tone. "Now."

Rika blinked and looked up at her mother. "I…"

"You _will_ take me to him, or I promise you PlanPol will get involved." Rumiko stood up and stepped over to her daughter. "Make a decision, Rika. Because I've already made mine."

Rika's eyes were locked with her mother's for a moment before her mind seized upon her mother's suggestion.

"All right," she replied, trying to hide the shake in her voice. "Then let's go meet him."

8


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.

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Chapter: 23

_Be professional, be professional…_

Takehiro hammered the thought in his mind over and over as he sat back in his chair, his hands pulling away from the keyboard. He looked over the article he was typing, scanning it for any errors one more time before sighing heavily with exhaustion and getting ready to send it off.

_These are times that try men's hearts,_ he thought, remembering an old quote, though who said it he could not quite recall. He rubbed at his eyes, feeling the tiredness that had crusted around them. _I wonder if this was a good job to have,_ he mused. _It seemed like a good idea at the time._ He smiled, remembering Mie's face when he first arrived in this place—a young, naïve man quite like how his son turned out to be—and looked up at his cubical wall, reading the statement that was tacked onto it—the motto of his life and, incidentally, the magazine that he worked for.

_Only the truth._

_ Truth hurts…_ His chair creaked as he sat up and stretched his back. He felt something pop, and gave a low grunt of pleasure at the feeling it provided. _As does sitting in a chair for too long._ Looking over his wall, he spied one of his coworkers, a young girl fresh out of university with short, closely cropped hair by the name of Miki. "Going on a coffee break."

"Roger that, sir," she said, giving him a snappy salute. Takehiro chuckled a little and saluted back before turning and leaving his four-walled work-home. Around him, he heard the bustle of his fellow coworkers as they called back and forth for projects and articles to be turned in, waiting to be given resources or documentation… Back and forth; back and forth. Takehiro felt tired just watching them, and seeing how young some of them were, like Miki, it made him feel rather out of place. Old to go along with worn out.

_An antique clock being compared to a cell phone,_ he mused. _The Golden Age of my life is going out, heading to Silver or Bronze while they're all just entering their Gold. Enjoy it while you can kids, because soon it will be gone._

Kids… The thought made him turn his mind to his own child, and he wondered what Takato was doing right now. Hanging out with his friends no doubt. Jeri had been kind enough to send him and Mie a message in the morning reminding them that the boy was going to be hanging out with his friends at the mall. Would he be okay? Is he okay? Concern for him, in light of his recent transformation, was a constant source of concern for him. It was even more so with Mie. Though she had been good enough to downplay it for the sake of Takato's 'state of mind'—her words—it still weighed heavily on her.

_It's only been three days, and she still can't believe it. Takato's going to have a hard time of it when he goes back to school. Dai had the same problem back when he first became a heroi._

Daisuke… There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't think of him at least once. He had a dream then, to work for PlanPol…take on a second name, try and help heroi become a legitimately recognized part of society rather than something that needed to be chained down and watched just in case they ran wild. It was a good dream—Takehiro still believed that, but the world was just not ready for it. The previous Age was a dark one that crushed all the beliefs that came before it, grinding it beneath its heel and leaving it for dead. That sort of thing would not be forgotten easily. Like Daisuke, Takato would have to bear the fallout from that time. Takehiro could only hope that his son would weather it better than his brother did.

He had to.

He had nearly exited the office when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he flipped it open, his expression becoming a bit worried as the caller ID showed Mie.

"Hey honeybunches," he greeted. "What's up?"

_"Takato… He… Takehiro…"_ She didn't sound good. Her voice was raspy and thick, as though she were struggling to breathe or to hold back tears. He knew his wife's habits quite well, and she sounded _very_ upset over something involving Takato.

_ Not a good sign…_ "Mie?" Worry seeped into his tone, but he steeled it. "Is everything all right? Did something happen to Takato?"

There was a whispering sound on the other end of the phone, but it was so inaudible that Takehiro could not tell what it was that he just heard. He frowned. She was in the ground work department under Hiroaki Ishida and assisted in handling the equipment and editing. _She should be in the field now, come to think of it._

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, leaving Takehiro cold inside.

"Mie!" He ran a hand through his hair and changed directions. He was going down to the next floor where, surely, someone would be able to tell him what was going on out there. "Mie, answer me. Where are you? What's going on?"

_"The mall Takato went to,"_ she finally said, her words tumbling out so quickly that they almost ran together. She sounded as though she were on the verge of breaking down into tears. _"It…It was attacked by terrorists! Heroi terrorists! PlanPol took him in! They arrested our son!"_

**###**

Riley marched down the hallway, her lips pressed into one thin line. She was flanked by Taley. Down at the end of the hall, in front of an open door stood a number of agents. Upon seeing her, the one closest to her, Coleman, saluted.

"Report," Riley said bluntly upon approaching.

"Shibumi's missing as was reported," Coleman replied. "We have agents on the ground searching for him and we're checking with everyone in the building, but so far no one has seen him. It's likely that he escaped during the blackout…"

"Or?" Riley raised an eyebrow, hearing a note of doubt in his voice.

"…or someone kidnapped him."

"Given that we were in contact with an agent of 'Noir', that seems to be the most likely case. What did a search of the room reveal?"

"Nothing physical. No sign of a struggle or anything. We've brought in heroi field specialists to see if there was any usage of any F.S. Field's in there…"

"Shibumi's is always active," Riley remarked.

"We've already accounted for his prints," Coleman replied. "Don't worry, ma'am. We'll have things sorted out."

Riley frowned and stepped around the agent to the room. Placing her hands on her hips, she looked around. The room that had served as Shibumi's 'home away from home' was crawling with agents. They were going up and down the floor and walls with a glowing rod—the light indicating the residual effects of F.S. Field usage.

_They're dim in some spots,_ she noted. _We got here just in time. If there was one or more additional users, their presence will fade quickly, unlike Shibumi, who has spent a great deal of time in this room already._

She wondered how Yolei was doing. She would have to question her once she recovered. Until then…

"All right," she said, exiting the room. "Finish up here, lock it up, and let me know if you find anything. Coleman, you're with me. We're going to go check up on one of our two newest tenants."

**###**

Sabot jerked to full wakefulness as a burning sensation lanced its way into her arm. Biting back a scream, she tried to swing her head around to see what had just attacked her, but quickly found herself unable to so much as move against the straps that held her in place. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something—a syringe she thought, attached to some kind of machine—imbedded in her arm, pumping her full of whatever drug it was that had brought her out of her slumber. Sabot bit back a curse and shifted her eyes in front of her. She was in a plain, empty room with white walls and what appeared to be speakers aimed at her.

_"Glad to see you're awake,"_ came the voice of a woman over an intercom. _"Shall we begin with the interrogation?"_

"Screw you," rasped the fiery-haired young woman, pushing against her restraints. They didn't so much as give under the pressure of Sabot's muscles—firm and well exercised—so she relaxed, deciding that it was better to conserve her strength.

_"As I'm sure you have already guessed, you're in a PlanPol facility,"_ the voice continued. _"You have been fully suppressed and escape is completely impossible for you. You are under our control. Now…shall we talk? If you cooperate, things will go much easier for you." _

Sabot clenched her eyes shut, feeling a pain crawl through her forehead. _Oh no, not good…_

"You're wasting your time, cops," she replied, forcing a laugh. The sliver of pain continued to advance.

_"Maybe,"_ the voice continued, unaware. _"But we have all the time we need to get what we want from you. We are willing to deal, but you must first give us information about who employed you and where your allies may be. If you are worried about your safety, we can provide you with protection."_

Sabot forced her eyes open. They were watering now. The pain was getting bigger, centering itself in the core of her head. It was just a matter of time now…

"No…" she rasped, blood starting to drip from her nose. "Trust me… You're _really_ wasting your time…"

The pain exploded and Sabot jerked in her restraints. Blood exploded from her nose while she sat there, muscles clenching for one long moment before they went slack. Sabot slumped in the chair, her eyes staring emptily at the floor.

From up in the observation window, Riley stared, stunned.

"Did she…?" she began before turning to the medical assistant behind her. "Get someone down there…_now!"_

"Yes ma'am," the medical assistant said, quickly jumping to action and heading toward the door leading to the interrogation room.

"She had nothing on her that could have done that," Coleman replied next to her in a tone that was academic and detached, as though there wasn't a dead person in the interrogation room. "We took everything she had off her and suppressed her heavily. We checked her teeth and…" he coughed before continuing more delicately, "…all other orifices before bringing her in here. This place is shielded. No psychic under Delta could kill her either."

"There was a Delta in her party, wasn't there?" Riley asked, turning away from the scene and clenching her hands tightly. In the interrogation room, the medical assistant rushed inside and hurried over to Sabot's unmoving body, checking her pulse before turning toward the wall, shaking his head in resignation.

"Physical mutate, from what we saw from the Monitor's scans," Coleman continued. "It had nothing that could be capable of killing at a distance."

"Look into the scans again." Riley looked over her shoulder at the now dead girl. "Get her down to the morgue and get her looked at." She pressed her lips together, and there was a small tremble in them as though she were wrestling with a decision. "Take skin and hair samples to the lab as well, while the body is still fresh."

Coleman eyed Riley for a moment, a brow raised. After a moment he finally nodded. "Yes ma'am. As you say."

**###**

The dark apartment room was empty, save for one figure with long, dark hair and silver-colored eyes as he typed away on his laptop. Leaning back in his chair, he watched the screen. The program he was running earlier showed a steady, consistent series of up and down spikes like a heart monitor that, mere seconds ago, had taken on a savage, tightly packed dagger thrusts. Now there was nothing but a simple, straight line.

Pulling out an ear phone, the silver-eyed man imbedded it into his ear canal and said, "Owikawa." There followed a buzzing and then the line picked up.

_"I've been expecting a call from you. How did it go?"_

"The job is done on my end. Sabot has been neutralized."

_"A shame. She had so much potential. But there's nothing that can be done when you get yourself captured. All right. Return to base. You'll be debriefed there on your next assignment."_

"Very well," the silver-eyed man replied, hanging up. His job now finished, he began to pack up his things, sliding his laptop into his back pack and zipping it up. Around his feet, shadows shifted ever-so-slightly before moving over to the wall, crawling along it into a smooth, limbless shape. Light formed in the center, taking on the appearance of knife-like eyes and a thin mouth shaped like a scar.

_"We're moving out?"_ the scar-mouth said, its voice nearly above a whisper.

"Our job is done," the Silver-eyed man said simply, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

_"A shame that we had to kill her. I liked Sabot."_

"You may be seeing her again if we don't move out," the silver-eyed man said, pointing to his feet. "Over here, now, Pan."

The shadow changed slightly, taking on the form of a young boy, as though mocking the man's words before slinking off the wall and back into the man's shadow.

"How is Shibumi?" the silver-eyed man asked, deciding to change the subject.

_"No change. He's sleeping right now. He says to wake him when we get back."_ There was a whisper of a chuckle. _"He's pretty funny you know."_

"Hmmm…" The silver-eyed man nodded noncommittally before heading toward the room's door. As he did so, he passed a window and something from outside caught his attention. Turning, he saw a young man standing on the roof top across from him wearing a black hoodie.

"It looks like there's going to be a delay," he said. "We're needed on the roof first."

**###**

Tank's hands shook as he watched his target—the silver-eyed man—as he made his way over the rooftop across from him. There was a loud buzzing sound in his pants pocket. Pulling out a cell phone, he hit the reply button and shakily brought it to his ear.

_"You managed to get away,"_ came the silver-eyed man's voice from the other end. _"Thank you. That is one less death on my conscience."_

"You killed her, didn't you, Alex?" Tank asked. His voice trembled. It felt hot and thick in his throat.

_"She was in PlanPol's custody. There is no way to get her out… There was no way to get her out. Her being alive would have killed us all."_

Tank brought his hand—scuffed and bloody from the battle in the mall—to rest on the ledge.

"You don't know that!" he grated, barely controlling his temper. "Damn it, Alex! PlanPol's operations in this city are so low in number we could have made a raid! You were there yourself!"

_"You failed in your mission thanks to a Hall Monitor. We have no way of knowing how compromised their security is. Tank… David. I'm sorry. Tayuya…"_

"Don't _call_ her that!" Tank—_David—_shouted, tears brimming in his eyes. He pounded the ledge. Its rough surface drew blood, but he barely felt it. "You're not human enough for that, Alex! Owikawa gave her a Second Name! The least you could do is use it!"

_"Will you be able to report back to base?"_ Alex asked, as calmly as though David hadn't been angry at all. _"You are still being pursued, and I believe that they have your bio-signature. If they capture you…_

"Damn it…" David wiped his arm over his grime-covered face. "I know! All right! I know! I'll get there. If not… Well… I can count on you to erase me, right?" He mimed putting a gun to his head with his fingers and 'pulled the trigger'. "That's what you do best, after all. You're a Goddamn machine. No, I take that back. The machines are more human than you…"

The sound of a dial tone brought David's attention to the fact that Alex had hung up on him before he was even done with his rant. Hanging up, he promptly flipped the man off before turning to face an oncoming Guardian Sphere—only one, but he knew that there would be more soon enough.

"You're not taking me," David growled, raising a hand. A chimney roof broke off and shattered into pieces. "You won't kill me and neither will _him!_ Not until I kill him first!"

With that, bricks flew through the air toward the Guardian Sphere, smashing it before it could even get a chance to dodge.

###

Takato sat in a cell…or rather a room of some kind. Unlike most prison cells that he saw on TV or read about in stories, this one did not have a cage of iron bars or a wall of stone overlooking shark-infested waters. The room was simple white cushions with an array of what appeared to be speakers sitting atop the plush walls, just below the ceiling. All were aimed in his direction.

_At least, they look like they're aimed at me,_ he thought, shifting on the floor. The room was void of any other features save for the speakers and cushioned walls…save for a solitary mirror. Nothing else. No bed, no chairs. Not that Takato was complaining, but the blandness of the room, with the only thing interesting to look at being the mirror, had a bit of an oppressive feel to him.

He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around himself, doing his best to not look at the mirror. The emptiness of the room that it showed to him was unnerving.

_Why'd she turn me in?_

The thought went through Takato's mind for what felt like the hundredth time, but no answer came to him. He stared up at the ceiling, the question rolling around in his head, refusing to leave him alone. His shoulders sagged as his hand dipped to his belt where the Companion Device had previously ridden.

_I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, she's supposed to be reporting my every move to PlanPol right down to the last breath. It's just…I thought that…after she said she wasn't going to report when my powers activated the last time, that she was on my side. Maybe…Maybe she really wasn't on my side all along and…and…_ A thought occurred to him just then, and his eyes widened slightly. _Or maybe she thought that I am a danger now? Did…Did something change in me when I kicked that guy at the mall and my powers activated?_

He looked down at his hand where it hung loosely against his belt. He knew that he was suppressed now, but all of a sudden his empty hand seemed a lot more frightening to him.

**###**

Riley entered the observation room. Another one of her agents, a dark-haired man with an expression that looked as though his face had frozen into a glare nodded in greeting to her.

"Ms. Ootori."

"How is he, Nakamura?"

"He hasn't done anything but sit there since he came in," Nakamura replied stiffly. "He expressed concern about his parents and a…_Jeri_ when we put him in there, but after that…nothing." The agent folded his arms over his chest, his scowl deepening. "A very quiet child."

"Or obedient," Riley suggested. "From what I've seen from his record he's always been a non-problem student in school. There was only one time where he ever got in a confrontation."

"Hm," Nakamura grunted. "Would that we had other heroi like him. It's boring watching him be so quiet but I'd rather it be boring than the alternative. He hasn't gotten hurt once so far."

"The suppression helps of course…" began Riley, but Nakamura shook his head.

"Some don't bother with trying to force their powers to work. We've had cases attack the mirror. Everyone knows what it really is."

Riley chewed her lower lip before moving toward the door. "I'm going in to see him."

"His suppression should be good for another seven hours," Nakamura stated. "But just in case, you should leave your weapon in here where it'll be safe."

Riley paused, but soon nodded in agreement. Pulling her pistol from her holster, she ejected the clip and laid it on the table. Then she replaced the weapon back in her holster.

"Ma'am?"

"Just in case," she said, opening the door. "I'll only need one shot."

**###**

Takato's head turned up to see a crimson-haired woman entering the room through a door that literally sprang out of nowhere in front of him. Half-surprised, he quickly got to his feet.

"Takato Matsuki," she greeted as though she hadn't just walked out of a door that was just now disappearing into thin air behind her.

"Um… Hi," the boy returned uncertainly. He found his hands opening and closing fastidiously, feeling unexpectedly self-conscious in front of her. The woman held out her hand and he, carefully, shook it.

"My name is Riley Ootori," the woman said in a very businesslike manner. "I represent the Shinjuku division of PlanPol."

"So…you're the boss?" Takato scratched his head, feeling taken aback by her presence. "Wait, never mind that," he decided, changing his mind. "My parents… And what about Jeri? My Companion…"

"All three are fine." Riley gave the boy a comforting smile. "Your Companion device, I'm sorry to say, was experiencing a malfunction, one that we only recently picked up on, possibly as a result of a manufacturing error. We're working to determine the exact cause. I'm sorry if it worried you because of its erratic behavior."

Takato breathed a sigh. "Well, that's a relief. Mom will probably be mad that I'm stuck in jail, but at least there's a good reason for it. Uh…I think." He looked around him, gauging his cell. It didn't look like the kind of place that would be able to hold a heroi that was determined to get out. "I'll probably be grounded anyway…" he continued, furrowing his brow. He looked furtively at Riley. "Um…about Jeri. Will…will she be fine?"

Riley folded her hands in front of her.

"It is not often that we get a Companion Device…like her. You will be issued a new one…"

Takato blanched at this, which Riley noticed. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Huh? Oh…uh…" Takato scratched the back of his head uncertainly. "I…ah…I guess I got too used to having Jeri with me. I mean, she seems so real and I talk to her and…" Takato chuckled. "…and I'm talking too much, aren't I?"

"Perhaps we can work something out," Riley said, feeling the faint beginnings of a plan start to formulate in her mind. "But first, I imagine that you would like to get out of here. If you would come with me…" she stepped to one side and gestured to the door behind her. "…our cafeteria is always open. It's well past lunch, but there should be some of our chef's special available if you would like."

The sudden brightening of Takato's eyes was all the answer that she needed.

**###**

A/N: Really, _really_ late getting around to this update. My apologies. Last week was busy on multiple fronts and things didn't start to wind down until around Sunday. Bear with me as I try to settle back into my groove.

Until next chapter.

-Crazyeight

7


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 24

"_The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. To leave a message, wait for…"_

Kazu slammed his thumb down on his cell phone's keys, mashing four different buttons. Not that it mattered, as the desired result of hanging up was achieved. He stuffed the phone in his pocket, swearing up and down in his head while restraining the urge to blast out his frustrations heatedly at the world around him. He didn't though, and instead forced himself to be content glaring at the sidewalk and at any people who walked to close to him.

Considering the amount of dust that caked his face and clothes, the citizenry managed to maintain a respectable distance between themselves and him.

_Kenta… Where the _hell_ are you?!_ he exclaimed in his mind. Already he was envisioning himself cornering his friend and demanding an answer from him. The pale, imaginary version of the boy wilted before his aggressive stance, and he was stammering out excuses. What they were Kazu didn't care, though he could conjure up a whole list if he wanted. All that mattered was that Kenta bailed on him and Takato when they were in the middle of something serious and now he was nowhere to be found.

_I could forgive him if all he did was take off and think we were following,_ Kazu grumbled. _But he didn't come back. It's like all he did was keep on running. After all this time, becoming friends with him and standing up for him when he had no one to hang out with…this is how he pays us back? What the hell? Kenta, you'd better have been secretly a heroi and got captured by PlanPol, otherwise I am going to stuff my boots up your shit tank and hang you out by the flag pole!_

Kazu kicked at the ground, snorting angrily. He didn't really mean that last part, but at this point he was furious enough to try. What kind of friend would desert others in a crisis?

_"Men who abandon their friends aren't men."_ He could still remember his father telling him that old adage from when he was old enough to be bounced on the old man's knee. The irony of the statement—that his father would shortly do just that—was not lost on him.

_What am I going to do?_ he wondered, coming to a halt at a bus stop. His angry expression melted as the sheer magnitude of what had happened finally came to rest on his small shoulders. _Takato's in jail… Maybe worse. PlanPol just snagged him and I…I couldn't do anything to stop them. _

Unconsciously, he massaged his shoulder. The muscles still ached from when an agent put him on the ground for attempting to punch out the first person that stepped forward to arrest Takato.

_I guess I should be glad that they didn't arrest me,_ he thought. _I can try and do…something. I could go to PlanPol and…and…_

…and what? What could he do? He had no powers. No real strength that went beyond his twelve-year old body. One agent took him down with ease and they just left him there as though he were beneath their attention. Takato…_he_ had all that. He had the power. He could break out if he tried.

_If he tried._

_ He doesn't know how to use his powers. He's been playing at being a good little citizen so that he wouldn't be arrested. Me? I wouldn't put up with that. But…I don't have anything._

A bus drew to a halt in front of him and swung its doors open. Kazu looked at it, desperately trying to convince himself to do something…that he _could_ do something.

He couldn't though. Unlike Takato, he was nothing special. He was just a citizen. Just a kid. Takato was trapped in a world full of adults with technological death on every side to protect themselves. They needed none of it for someone like him.

_Screw that,_ Kazu swore. With anger burning a hole in his heart, he stepped onto the bus, turning a defiant glare at the driver before stalking down the aisle. _I'm going to do something. I don't care what they do to me. I'm going to do something. I don't know what it is, but I'm going to try, even if it's the last thing I ever do._

**###**

Teruo poked the screwdriver tool of his Avalon Army Knife into a mess of wires inside an open cranium belonging to a robot wearing a pair of overalls lying on the ground.

"Okay…" Setting his knife aside and closing up the robot's cranium. "All set. Now let's turn you back…on."

Flicking a switch at the base of the robot's skull, the machine twitched and sat up.

_"Hello,"_ the robot said, seeing Teruo.

"Hello," Teruo replied with a nod. "Unit: instruction. Identify yourself."

_"I am an Autonomous Custodian Unit, serial number…"_

"Let's skip that part," Teruo interrupted. "That's a little too long…"  
_"I am called Bob…"_

"Which I already know…"

Not to be put out, Bob continued. _"Then it would appear I am at a disadvantage. What are you called…?"_ It tilted its head, servos working as lights flickered behind its glass eyes. _"Oh!" _It said, sounding almost amused. _"Your name is Teruo."_

"Yeah." Teruo nodded. "Sorry about playing around with your data banks, but I kind of need some help around here. I've got one of my servants running around the place, but it's got too little mass to really help me haul things around and locate materials… You were knocked out from the EMP…"_ The EMP that I made,_ he thought, but he wasn't going to tell 'Bob' that. "…so I repaired you. Inserting some protocols and data just…makes things more convenient for me." He tossed his hands in the air. "So…yeah. Sorry. I'm going to have to include you in my plans for world domination. Not that I actually have any plans for that sort of thing… Um…" Teruo tapped a finger against his lips before returning his attention to Bob. "Look. I'm doing some illegal stuff just by being here, and this place has material that I need like I said, and since you work around here you would know best where to find things."

_"Indeed I do." _Bob stood up and dusted off his jeans. _"Though your program additions are not only ineffective—save for your name, that was quite helpful—they were also unnecessary. I would have helped you if you asked."_

"Thanks. I apprecia—wait, what?" Teruo frowned up at Bob, having not expected that statement from the machine.

_"My systems are protected against attempts to change my operating systems to begin with,"_ Bob replied. _"I also have a soft spot for heroi. So, what kind of material do you need?"_

"Uh…" Teruo shook his head. _Well here's something I'm not used to. My techniques not working at all, but still getting what I want anyway. _"Feels like there's a shoe waiting to drop somewhere…"

_"Teruo?"_

"Sorry. Um… Okay. To start with, I need a focusing lens. Diamond. And…" He hesitated. "…is there any remaining transmat platforms in the area?"

_"I believe there's one on the northern end of the junkyard. However, if memory serves, it has a crack on its surface. If you plan to teleport anyone, there is a high degree of likelihood that they will die or be assembled deformed."_

"I can deal with that when the time comes. I'm also going to need a lot of copper wire and emt piping. I'd rather have something else, but that's just about the only thing that I imagine will be reliable."

_"Electrical equipment is in the highest concentration in the East section, sector seven."_ Bob pointed in the direction and Teruo smiled and used his pipe to help himself stand up, grimacing as he favored his injured leg.

"Got it. Thanks." Teruo was about to take off before he thought of something. "Um… You won't tell anyone that I'm working here, will you?"

_"You don't have to worry about that,"_ Bob assured him. _"As I said, I have a soft spot for heroi. You have nothing to fear from me. However, should my superior find you, I will be unable to assist you to any large degree. I cannot compromise my position in this facility."_

"That's fine by me," Teruo shrugged. "Live and let live, I guess. All right. Well, if you can, when you find anything let me know and I'll…hobble my way over there."

_"As you request,"_ Bob replied. Returning the nod, Teruo began to limp off in the direction Bob had pointed out to him. He already had a rough idea of where to go. Climbing a mountain of trash, he found himself envisioning that he was some kind of grand adventurer, exploring the great unknown, never knowing what was over the next horizon.

_How appropriate,_ he thought, grinning. _Here I am, in a sea of treasure from all across the ages, Bronze to Gold. I could probably conquer the world with all of this at my fingertips._

He passed by a giant robot with a hole in its chest. _Well, except for that. I'm pretty sure I can't get that working again._

Ascending to the top of the trash heap he wiped his brow and surveyed his surroundings. It was hard to believe that there could be so much broken and discarded rubbish in one area. He remembered the junkyards of other cities, but not a single one of them compared to this place. Here, it just seemed to go on for miles and miles.

_Oh…_ Teruo thought in sudden realization._ There must be a thin, ground level dimensional warp device here that helps make the place larger on the inside than on the outside. No wonder they can fit so much garbage here. This place could fit entire countries. _He shifted in his position, contemplating that thought for a moment. _Huh. It's a good thing that the EMP didn't take that out. Otherwise, all this…would have caused some pretty serious problems for the city. I wonder where they're getting the power for it._

Before Teruo could pursue that line of thought, he heard a low, booming sound. Looking up in its direction, he saw two figures dropping out of the sky, aiming toward the outer edges where he had come from.

_Heroi… What the heck is this about?_

**###**

Ken went from one screen to another, his hands moving across the keyboards in an attempt to coax some life from them beyond blue screens and static. His base was decently shielded thanks to some well-placed adamantine-steel sheets, but the abrupt power disruption had mucked with his equipment.

_The backup generators aren't coming online,_ he noted with a grimace. _I'm only running on emergency power._ Rolling his chair over to a switch attached to the wall, he flipped it on. _Deploying solar panels. Hopefully those aren't fried as well. They should have had enough shielding… Damn it! Who the hell is out there screwing with me?!_

A screen lit up and he rolled over to it.

"Okay… Looks like I've got camera function back in sector three. Something must've shifted in the pile it was in and protected it. That's good to kno…oh!"

Ken's eyes widened as the screen static cleared, revealing two individuals, one woman and a young girl, standing together. The girl he recognized right away as Rika. That she had company concerned him, but the woman… He cocked his head and zoomed in.

_Her back's to me. I've got no other cameras in this area to give me a better view._ He chewed on his lower lip. _Something… Something familiar about her._ Leaning back, he tapped his chin, wracking his memories for a reason as to why he was being plagued by a strange sense of familiarity. _That neck line… The hair…_

The woman turned finally, appearing to look off somewhere further off. Ken found himself dumbstruck as the sense of familiarity turned into full blown recognition!_ You…! You!_ Ken burst out laughing and shot up from his chair. _Oh, to think that _you_ would end up here! I should have known! Rika's powers are the same after all!_

Racing over to his holographic projector—a ring with three light projectors of red, blue, and yellow—he checked its systems before firing it up. Of all his technology, this was the one of only two he was least concerned about being damaged by an EMP blast short of the type set off by nuclear weaponry or being knocked offline by a power outage.

_My only contact with the outside world when all else fails,_ he thought, stepping into it and closing his eyes. _I can't afford to lose it._

**###**

Normally Rika would not have been surprised to be flying. She did it herself whenever the opportunity presented itself. The fact that it cut down on time dealing with being on the ground, having to get around traffic notwithstanding there was a liberating feeling that went with it every time she left the ground beneath her, shrinking people down to barely visible dots.

However, to be carried by her mother in midair was a completely different story. She had been certain that the woman would not risk putting them in danger of being spotted by PlanPol, but clearly that was not the case.

_She wants to get this over with,_ Rika thought, blinking back the strands of hair that bounced against her eyes. _I can't say that I blame her for wanting to…I guess._

Her heart was beating an orchestra of fear in her chest. She had no idea what was going to happen, or if she could do anything to change what she knew was coming. Her mother was going to see Ken, and he didn't know that they were coming. She didn't buy her excuse to 'call ahead so that he wouldn't be surprised or suspicious' and had, in fact, confiscated her cell phone before setting off. There were to be no delays. No excuses. No bathroom breaks or anything that could give Rika so much as a chance to fire off a warning. They were going to the junkyard to see Rika's mysterious benefactor.

What happened after was either going to depend on what kind of defenses Ken had or what kind of answers Rumiko received.

Once again Rika tried to reach for her F.S. Field, but just as happened so many times before it failed to activate. The dose her mother gave her was going to take time for her system to filter out.

_What am I going to do? I…I have to warn Ken somehow. Mom might level the place! She…_

No. Rika took a deep breath and willed herself to be calm. Her mother wouldn't do such a thing. She wouldn't risk causing _too_ much of an incident—flight notwithstanding. _She's a coward. She wouldn't go after Ran, she wouldn't start a fight in the junkyard._

At least, that's what she tried to tell herself. She winced, remembering the fight in the yard and later, in the living room… There had been something different in her eyes then.

As she thought, Rumiko slowed her pace and then dropped suddenly. Rika felt her stomach rise into her throat, but managed to prevent herself from vomiting on herself. Within moments, they touched down in the middle of the junkyard, dust rising in the air ever so slightly as Rumiko's F.S. Field flared once before vanishing.

"All right," she said, turning to her daughter. "Take me to him."

Rika blinked before nodding numbly. "All right," she said carefully before turning and setting off, making her way over some broken shards of metal. She swallowed and licked her lips. She was starting to feel shaky from her nerves. She had never felt so out of control before. _Not since when I got my powers anyway,_ she thought, taking a step forward. Her foot slipped on a smooth sheet of metal as she climbed down and she gave a surprised shout as she slid down the pile of trash, hitting an upturned piece of stone. Her hands scrambled, trying to find purchase, but she found none as a sickening heat sliced across her palms. She rolled off the ledge, her body aiming toward an upturned metal rod with a sharp, spear-like point aiming up at her abdomen…

_"No! Rika!"_

There was a sudden blast of air, and the next thing Rika knew, she was once more in her mother's arms and they were hovering in the air, a good distance away from the rod. She could feel her mother's breasts rising up and down against her shoulder, her breathing erratic. The older woman turned toward her as they lowered to the ground. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Rika looked at her hands, feeling a hot stickiness spreading across her fingers. She spread them out and drew in a sharp breath as pain lanced across a series of cuts that crisscrossed her palms. She quickly clenched them shut, her fingernails digging into the open wounds. For some reason it provided some relief.

"Let me see," Rumiko said in a comforting tone. Placing the young girl on the ground, she took hold of her hand and pushed her fingers back. She pressed her lips together as she took in the injuries. She gave a sigh of relief at the first hand and then took a look at the other.

"It looks like you'll be fine," she reported finally. "They're clean cuts, and you'll heal up nicely once your powers come back. You're lucky. That metal you tried to grab was adamantine steel. Indestructible. It was used for edges and could be made a molecule thick. It's the only thing that your invulnerability can't protect you against." Taking hold of her sleeves, she tore them off without hesitation and, with a focus that could only be described as medical, she wrapped the fabric around the girl's injuries and tied them off. Rika blinked, a bit taken aback by the casual disregard that she gave to her clothes. That was not something she was used to seeing from her mother.

"You turned off my powers," Rika retorted after only a moment's hesitation, taking back her hands.

"You'll get them back," Rumiko replied, dusting off her dress and standing up. "I'm just giving you something you'll want to remember in the future."

"I… Huh?" Rika tilted her head to one side, honestly befuddled. "What…What do you mean?" That had been unexpected. _She's…She's not going to suppress me?_

"Your contact first, Rika. We'll talk about your powers when we're done with that." Looking around, she frowned. "Hold on. Something…is not right here. The power in the fence is off."

"What?" Rika, still clenching her hands together, stood up. To illustrate her point, Rumiko tapped her ears.

"They're not buzzing," she said. "You'd hear them if you weren't being suppressed. You should have noticed it during your other trips here."

After taking a second to search her memory Rika finally nodded. She wasn't entirely certain, but she _did_ feel as though she recalled a faint buzzing sound in the background. She couldn't be sure as she hadn't paid attention to anything that wasn't immediately threatening her, or close enough to do so.

"Smoke…" Rumiko continued, sniffing the air slightly. "Interesting…" The woman frowned, her eyes tracing the horizon line. "Someone else tried to break in." Her F.S. Field flaring slightly, she tapped the ground with one foot and rose into the air. Rika watched her, alarm bells going off in her head as she took in what her mother was saying.

_Someone broke into the junkyard? Ken…!_

Rumiko touched back down, her expression contemplative.

"A transformer was destroyed. If I had to guess they tried to cut the power, but…a place like this should be separate from the main grid. All the technology that's here…" Rumiko's eyes narrowed, and she continued, more to herself than anyone else. "EMP? Backup generators might not have been shielded…" She shook her head and turned to Rika, as though finally realizing that her daughter was still there. "Rika, I'm going to have to take you out of this place."

"What?" Rika exclaimed, her worry becoming replaced by indignation.

"This is not the time to argue!" Rumiko told her sternly. "Something's going on, and I can't watch you and investigate this at the same time." Her hand snaked out and latched onto Rika by the wrist."

"No!" Rika pulled against her mother's grip but Rumiko was, of course, far stronger than she was in her present condition. "Ken is the only lead I have! If the Meta Foundation has found him…!"

"Ken?!" Rumiko started at the name as it tumbled from her mouth before she could stop herself. "Ken Ichijouji?!" _Oh no…_

Still struggling against her mother's grasp, Rika locked eyes with her, registering surprise herself.

"Wait. You know…?"

_"Of course she knows,"_ came a cheerful sounding voice from next to the two. Rika jumped in surprise while Rumiko simply craned her head to the direction of the voice, finding a youthful-looking boy with dark, closely cropped hair standing there, hands folded behind his back and a cocky smile drawn upon his face. His visage flickered slightly.

_A hologram._

_ "After all,"_ Ken continued. _"She and I go back a long, long way. Hello Mimi."_

Rumiko's free hand pulled itself into a tight fist. "Ken," she nodded carefully in greeting before giving Rika a hard look. _What have you gotten yourself into, Rika?_

_"I have to say, it's good to see you again, Tachikawa,"_ Ken said, bringing her attention back to the matter at hand.

"We're getting out of here," Rumiko said, pulling Rika closer to her.

"What?!" Rika's eyes widened in surprise, hearing the tone in her mother's voice. She sounded…_very_ angry.

_"Why?"_ Ken asked, spreading his arms to emphasize his question. _"You just got here."_

Rumiko's response was a massive flaring of her F.S. Field that sent both her and Rika rocketing into the air, kicking up a cloud of dust. Ken's holographic form flickered as the dust particles blew through him.

_"All right,"_ he said with a low chuckle. _"I'll see you when you get back."_

###

"Mom! What are you…?"

"Just a second Rika!" Rumiko snapped. "Don't ask me any questions right now." She threw a look behind her in the direction of the junkyard, her expression hard. "How did you find him?"

"What?" Rika stammered, her mouth dropping open in surprise. "I can't ask you questions but you can?"  
"Just _answer_ me! How did you find him?"

"It…" Rika stared at her mother. Her mind was awhirl with a torrent of emotion. There was just one surprise after another. _Mimi Tachikawa is her real name? This is my mom?_ "It…It wasn't anything special. I…I met him there. After…" She swallowed. There was no point in hiding anything about that time anymore. "After my powers activated."

Rumiko dropped suddenly and this time Rika had swallow hard to prevent herself from throwing up. Within seconds they were back on the ground in the yard of their home. Rumiko untangled herself from her daughter and held her at arm's length.

"You are _not_ to go near him again," she stated firmly.

"Wha…? Why? Mom! He can help me find Ran!"

"You do _not_ know him," Rumiko replied.

"I don't know _you_ either, _Mimi!"_ Rika shot back, trying to struggle free from her mother's grasp. "I knew that you lived a long time because you're a heroi, but this…?"

_"My_ past wasn't important. Ken on the other hand is a different matter. You don't know anything about him…not like I do. Rika, I do _not_ want you going near him _or_ the junkyard again." Rumiko scowled. "You shouldn't have gone there in the first place, but that…doesn't matter now." She stood up and turned away, one hand on her forehead while the other sat on her hip. "Oh God… I can't believe that he's here. Rika… Just… Just go to your room for now. I need to make some calls."

Rika glowered at her mother's back. _You can't keep me in there and you know it,_ she thought before turning toward the gaping hole in the front of their house._ Just great… So what is she going to do to keep me here?_

One thing was for sure, she wasn't willing to just sit still for the woman that refused to help rescue Ran.

7


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 25

Takato stepped up to the lunch aid, swallowing nervously as the man nodded to him with an easy-going smile.

"So what'll it be today?" he asked as though there wasn't a twelve-year old that he didn't normally serve standing in front of him. Takato hesitated and looked over his shoulder at Riley, who nodded at him, smiling down at him as easily as the lunch aid.

"Go on," she prompted. "It's my treat."

Takato returned his attention to the spread of food at the counter. There wasn't as much of it as there could have been—as it was now well-past the lunch hour. He had already eaten, but his stomach had been gnawing at him ever since he had been dropped into his 'cell'. _I remember the doctor telling me that heroi eat more than normal people._ He placed a hand on his stomach, and it growled at the touch. Spaghetti with pasta sauce, some flat-bread for making burritos, steak, brown rice, salsa, French fries, some remaining pizza slices… PlanPol apparently went all out for its employees when it came to food. The aroma wasn't as strong as it would have been had the food all been served fresh, but it was there all the same, and it taunted him.

"I'd…I'd like some pizza with fries, please" he said finally, opting to be more conservative. He was a guest…or a prisoner, he wasn't sure which…and not working for Riley. He didn't want to overstep his bounds.

_Besides, with the way my stomach feels I might make them go broke._

"Please, huh?" The aid grinned. "Don't get much politeness around here. That's a nice change of pace."

"Add some rice and spaghetti on that for him as well," added Riley, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. She looked back down at Takato. "No need to hold back. We don't scrimp on the food budget around here and you need the energy." She glanced back up at the aid. "Are there any bread buns ready? Potatoes?"

"I'll go see if we have anything in the back," the aide said as he piled on the ordered foodstuffs. "Here you go." He handed the plate over to Takato. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Ah…"

"Start him off with a soft drink," Riley said before the boy could say anything. "Have it delivered to our table after you've checked in the back."

"Yes ma'am," the aide replied as Riley ushered the child out into the main dining area where they soon found an empty table to sit at.

"So…what are you going to do about Jeri?" Takato asked, setting his plate down and picking up his fork, twisting it into the pasta tentatively.

"As I told you, it…" She saw the look in Takato's eyes at the use of the pronoun and soon changed it. "_…she…_is experiencing a malfunction and we're looking into it. If we can repair the problem, then it's quite possible that she can be returned to you without further problems. However, I should point out that the likelihood of this is low, so you shouldn't get your hopes up. She was…rather uncommunicative, and that worries me. I'm sure you can understand the predicament that you would be in if you had gone on any longer with a Companion misreporting your condition." She threaded her fingers together under her chin and leaned forward, taking in Takato's reaction. The boy was very…quiet, but she could see the anxiety dancing behind his eyes.

"Anyway, there's no need to worry about that now. We caught the problem early. We'll issue you a new Companion and things can go back to normal."

"Normal…" Takato demurred, not looking overly enthusiastic. Riley saw Takato frown ever so slightly as he picked at his meal. She wondered if he had been a problem eater when he was younger. So far he had yet to raise a single bit of it to his mouth.

_Unless he's still preoccupied by…_Jeri…_as he calls it…_ Riley resisted the urge to shake her head and sigh in exasperation. She did not want to deal with yet _another_ person who fell for Companions. 'Falling' for a machine, of course, was too strong a description for someone of Takato's age, but it was largely the most relevant one that she knew of. The vast majority of non-heroi individuals who accepted Companions did so for that very reason.

_Maybe I'm projecting too much. Takato's just a kid after all._

Still, if there was some truth to this wrinkle, it would be an excellent bargaining chip.

"If you would like, the new Companion can be a temporary one until we are able to make sure that _Jeri_ is safe for you to have by your side."

Takato's eyes took on that same light that they had to them when she first offered to discuss things with him. _That's a good sign._

"Yeah?" he asked, sounding quite eager.

"But there are some things that we…_I…_would like from you first. An exchange."

"An exchange?" Takato's eyebrows knotted together in what could only be suspicion. It was predictable, and as far as Riley was concerned easy to deal with.

"How do you feel about your powers?"

"Um…" Takato scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I'm…not sure. I haven't really had them for very long. Three days…"

"But you've activated them. Jeri's reports are well-documented."_ If late,_ she added in her mind, but it wasn't necessary to say it out loud. "How did they feel?"

Takato took a moment to think the question over before answering.

"They weren't…like I thought they'd be."

"And that would be…?" Riley prompted.

Takato closed his eyes, remembering the time that they first went off in the park… Had it been the first? It had been the most serious. He could still feel the way his heart leapt into his throat as he hurtled over the air, his bowls loosening and a sick sensation of frightening emptiness worming its way through his abdomen. An electrical feel sizzled along his nerves and through his veins, warming every inch of his body. He had no idea what had happened. Just a jolt, a burst of energy followed by a loud blast of someone laying on a horn, and in the next moment he was airborne.

"I used to think that…you know, because the old stories never said anything…that it wouldn't be any different from the way I am now. I mean…" He scowled and ran a hand through his hair. His fork clinked on his plate, forgotten. "I can do this…" He waggled his fingers for emphasis. "…and not think about it. I guess I thought it would be the same way."

"The old stories…" Rumiko leaned back and folded her arms over her stomach thoughtfully. "How much do you read those?"

At this Takato took on a rather uncomfortable stance to his body. Reading on the previous ages—when men and women walked tall, wearing their second names with pride, and fought as heroes or villains—was not illegal, but for PlanPol to take an interest in someone reading them in depth, especially a heroi, it could be seen as a topic to step carefully around.

"Um…a little," Takato carefully admitted. "I mean, they teach them in school, and it…it was before I got my powers…"

"There's no reason for you to be nervous, Takato. You won't be penalized for taking your studies seriously."

_Although how they influence your use of your powers is something that the Committee of Education will find of interest, _Riley added in her mind, but that was something she didn't need to tell the child. If anything, she suspected that he already guessed something to that nature already, or else he wouldn't be hesitant. PlanPol's reputation for dealing with dissidents or potential ones was nothing comforting, especially when it came to dealing with heroi.

_As our recent capture would have soon found out,_ she mused, _had she not died so quickly._

"What does this have to do with my powers?" Takato prompted, raising an eyebrow. A bit more boldness crept its way into his voice, causing Riley to smile a little.

_Trying to be strong, are we?_

"I suppose that it's time we stopped beating around the bush, huh?" Unfolding her arms she laid them on the table and leaned forward. "If you really would like to have your original Companion back, I would like to request that you allow us to run tests on your abilities."

Takato's other eyebrow rose to join its brother. "But…But I can't! I'm taking…"

"…the Pax." Riley interrupted, waving it off. "I know. PlanPol can consider you a special exception; make it so that you're not required to take it so that your powers can develop."

"I…I don't understand…"

"Just leave it in our hands, Takato."

"But why? I mean…it's illegal for me to _have_ powers! I'm…I'm a criminal just by existing! I…" His hands gestured in front of him, as if pleading with Riley to give him an answer that he could accept. The tough look in his eyes had taken a backseat for the moment to confusion.

Riley frowned. The confusion was justified. The Empire's entire law system was set up to control heroi, their activities, and, to a degree, their behavior. Suppressing their powers so that they would be unable to cause damage to their surroundings was paramount for the nation's stability, and PlanPol had, so far as was known to the public, made no such allowances for anyone.

So why indeed?

There were reasons, but for now, Riley decided to go for what had been the most obvious in the report on the child. One that she hoped her superiors would allow her the time to explore and not just decide that he was too dangerous to allow to reproduce…or live.

"Your powers have so far showed an unusual amount of resistance to your treatment," Riley replied. "You know that they've activated even after you've already taken the Pax, so the fact that it had no effect at all is something that we're a bit concerned about. We'd like to see why this is, and it could be possible that your abilities have something to do with it." Riley's eyes met Takato's and held them. "Do you remember your encounter with the man in the park?"

"Yeah." Takato nodded sharply, a frown crossing his features. "That was…really weird. He did something to me then…didn't he?"

"His name is Goru Mizuno. His ability activated yours, though we don't know _why_ he did that to you…"_ Well, we do, but you don't need to know it right now… _"…and it may be why you're resistant to treatment. We would like to narrow down the possibilities before making a call." She paused a moment before adding, "Wouldn't you like to know what the reason for that was?"

"Can I see him?"

"Unfortunately no." Riley shook her head, deciding that it would not be prudent to mention that Shibumi had vanished she had no idea how he had escaped the building. "As he was responsible for activating your powers, we don't know what else he has in store for you. We would like to keep the two of you separate if we can."

Takato nodded and broke his gaze away from Riley. "And if I do this, you'll give Jeri back to me?"

"Yes," Riley replied without hesitation. If she got him to agree it would make things easier. Of course, she could take the choice away from him, but that would bring up a hornet's nest that she, not to mention her superiors, would prefer to avoid if there were other alternatives.

Still, Takato remained tense. He appeared to be on the verge of saying yes, but there remained one final barrier. "What'll I tell my parents?"

As though on cue, Riley's cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket. "One moment please," she smiled at the boy before hitting the reply button. "Riley here."

_"This is the front desk. You have a Mr. and Mrs. Matsuki here to see you…"_

Riley glanced at Takato briefly before replying.

"All right. Tell them that I'll be down to see them momentarily." Hanging up, she turned to Takto. "As it turns out, I'll be taking care of your concerns with your family shortly." Getting up, she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Finish up your meal and feel free to have more if you want. I'll be back with some good news for you."

With that, Riley parted from the table and headed toward the exit. Takato's eyes remained glued on her as he thought.

_This is…too easy, isn't it?_ He glanced down at his hands and curled his fingers slightly. As if on command, a curl of electricity danced around their tips and he clenched them against his palm quickly before anyone could take notice of them. Shivering a little as the electrical feel wound its way through his arms and stopped at his shoulders he massaged himself and picked back up his fork, winding it around the spaghetti.

Over the course of his short life, he had read what had to be a thousand stories of the heroes from the old Ages, from Gold all the way to Bronze. Some of them he believed were stylized and exaggerated…at least that was what his parents and teachers always taught, but there was one thing that always stood out to him.

In the war between heroi and nemesi, whenever an organization offered someone a deal, on either side, it was to be met with suspicion.

_Something's off,_ he thought, opening his mouth and forking a wad of pasta into it._ This…is too weird for PlanPol. What's the point of letting me keep my powers if suppressant doesn't work on it? I mean, okay, she said that she wants me for study but…isn't that considered dangerous?_

For the time being, he felt, that as long as he was able to continue living his life and got Jeri back, then things could be fine…couldn't they? He sighed and leaned his head into one hand, poking at his food again. He could never eat properly when he had a lot on his mind.

_Jeri…_

She really was just a machine, and yet…he didn't feel comfortable with the idea of leaving her in the hands of PlanPol to do whatever they wished just because she was 'broken' or whatever was the problem.

_She didn't tell PlanPol about my other power activations…at first. Why did she do it when Kazu and I were running out of the mall? Did she get around whatever was wrong with her?_

So many questions, but ultimately there was only one way to get a real answer. Takato couldn't say that he trusted PlanPol to give him one, and that left only one person that he could trust to do it.

Jeri.

**###**

Mie Matsuki all but glared at the secretary, as though she were somehow at fault for her son being at PlanPol. Takehiro, for his part, massaged the woman's shoulder, hoping to dispel as much of the stress that she wanted—_needed—_to direct at the world.

_"This is all your fault,"_ she had said to him before they entered the building, not giving him so much as a chance to respond without drawing attention to themselves. That had been all she said when he got there and found her waiting outside the doors, arms hugging herself closely, her face flushed. Upset didn't quite describe how the mother of their heroi son was feeling right now, and it was taking every ounce of her strength to keep from just lashing out uncontrollably.

"How much longer?" Mie asked, brushing off Takehiro's hand from her shoulder and folding it back beneath its twin.

"Ma'am," the secretary began smoothly. "Ms. Ootori will be here shortly. Please be patient."

Before Mie could say anything further, the secretary adjusted the microphone near her mouth and hit a button. "PlanPol office building, how may I help you?"

Takehiro sighed with relief at the well-timed call and, taking hold of his wife's arm, he turned her around so that they could face each other fully.

"I'm sure that it's nothing more than just a part of their investigation," he said in a quiet voice. "Takato was there when the terrorists attacked. He's a witness, not a criminal."

"That's what you think," Mie sniffed, dabbing at her cheek. "But you weren't there. You were in your office writing your articles. I saw them _Mister_ Matsuki." She put a great deal of stress on the word _mister_, causing Takehiro to wince slightly. "My boss and crew were just arriving when they were putting him in their van. I saw our _son_ handcuffed and blindfolded. You can't tell me that they do that to witnesses. They're looking at him as a suspect. He was in the park with that other man after all, and now this!" She choked slightly, trying desperately to hold back her tears. "Takehiro… They're treating our son as though he were a criminal and he's a heroi! You know what they'll do. You _should_ know!"

Takehiro pulled his wife into a hug, trying to offer her some comfort and at the same time feeling helpless to do so. _What can I say to get her to feel better?_ he asked himself. _She's right. My brother…_

No. He couldn't afford to think that way. His brother was not Takato. He had raised his son to be responsible, and while he wasn't perfect, he didn't go looking for trouble. Surely PlanPol would realize that…wouldn't they?

Takehiro didn't feel any comfort from that thought. It felt too much like a drowning man clinging desperately to a piece of driftwood.

On the other end of the hallway, an elevator door dinged and out walked a tall, red-haired woman that Takehiro recognized instantly from the news reports and articles that were constantly written at his workspace. Riley Ootori; Director of PlanPol. Her eyes sighting on them, she immediately made her way over to the adults and held out a hand in greeting, to which Takehiro took—tentatively—shaking it in return.

"Thank you for coming, and I apologize for not contacting you directly about your son," Riley began, starting right in. "We had hoped to settle this discretely and with little fuss, but the terrorist attack at Shinjuku mall required us to act quickly."

"I…beg your pardon?" Takehiro asked, a bit confused by this approach. Mie, pushing away from her husband, was less concerned about Riley's statement and instead lit right into the woman.

"Where is my son, Ms. Ootori? I don't want to play games with you. I am already sick to _death_ of having to worry about PlanPol hovering about and watching him as though he was some kind of time bomb waiting to explode! Let him go, or so help me…"

"Mie!" Takehiro placed a warning hand on her shoulder and focused his attention on Riley.

"Ms. Ootori; Mie was part of the news group that saw you apprehend Takato. I'm sure you can understand the stress that this has put her under…"

"Takehiro!" Mie interrupted, shoving off his hand again. "This woman…"

"…has only your son's best interests at heart," Riley cut in, raising a hand. Her tone remained calm and smooth; almost gentle even, as though she fully understood Mie and Takehiro's concerns. "I must apologize for the behavior of my agents in the field. The situation at the mall was considerably out of the ordinary and they were attempting to apprehend the terrorists. Your son happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and will be released back into your custody as soon as we are finished questioning him about what he saw…and provided with a temporary replacement Companion."

"Wha…?" Mie and Takehiro looked at each other for a moment before turning back at Riley.

"Did…something happen to…" Takehiro thought quickly about what their son had named the device. "…to Jeri?"

"Takato's Companion sustained some damage to her core programming and we are looking into the matter. We are almost done speaking with your son, so if you would like, we can arrange a room to be set aside for you to wait in until we are finished."

"That's…" Mie blinked, utterly perplexed by this attitude. Takehiro felt the same way. All their fears for their son were evaporating so quickly. It seemed too good to be true. "That's all? Just like that?"

"Mrs. Matsuki; your son has no real connection to any of the terrorists. His encounter with the man in the park is…odd, but his behavior has been exemplary. As a matter of fact, we have it on record that he resisted against the terrorists when they began to take hostages." She looked at the two parents, a wide smile on her face. "It's not often that we have citizens like him, especially a heroi." She placed her hands on Takehiro and Mie's shoulders. "That was in the records Jeri sent to us and the mall security cameras confirm this. You should be proud of your son."

"Just…Just as long as he doesn't get any more ideas in his head," Mie replied in a low voice that showed that, while she wasn't sure what to make of the situation, she was willing to let it slide. "He reads about the old stories too much."

"It's good that your son has aspirations of service to the community," Riley said. "I won't fault his reading if it produced someone like him." Taking away her hands and placing them on her hips she continued, "There is just one more detail that we would like to investigate, with his permission of course, if you don't mind."

"If we don't mind?!" Mie's jaw dropped, but Takehiro again gave her shoulder a warning squeeze.

"What would this…_detail_ be?" Takehiro asked, suspicion falling over him. _This is where the other shoe drops…_

"Nothing of particular importance, except that your son's powers briefly activated while he was defending himself. We detected that he did take his medication when we took a blood sample, so it is most likely just a simple matter of adjusting his treatment. We would like to schedule an appointment with him in one of our labs free of charge, just to be on the safe side, but if you prefer to take him to a doctor's office…" She let the sentence hang there, unfinished, and looked back and forth between Takato's parents. She smiled at them. "Consider it a reward for your son's actions."

Mie frowned at Riley and took Takehiro by the arm. "If you would give us a moment…"

"I'll give you until we're finished speaking with your son," Riley nodded in understanding. "Until then…" She turned to the secretary. "Have an agent escort Mr. and Mrs. Matsuki to one of the waiting rooms."

"Yes, Ms. Ootori."

**###**

"Here we are," said the PlanPol agent, pushing open the door for the two Matsuki's, a grin on his face. It was a small room, but comfortable looking, with a TV, a couch, some chairs, and a small table by the door. "Feel free to call the front desk if you need anything," he continued, pointing to the phone on the table. "Just press one, and you'll ring it up. If you need an outside line, just press two and then the number of the person you're trying to call." He turned to face them. "For security purposes, any outside calls will be monitored, just so you know." He chuckled. "So make sure you don't say anything embarrassing. Anyway, I'll leave you two alone. Take care."

With that, the agent departed, closing the door behind him and leaving the pair in the silence of the room. Mie paced over to a corner of the room, her hands working themselves in and out of knots.

"They want something," she said finally, her voice full of tension. "They think that our son has done something wrong and now…"

"Mie…" Takehiro began, only to be interrupted by his wife.

"Don't _Mie _me, mister. You and I have both been in the investigative journalist area for too long to _not_ think something smells fishy about this."

Takehiro ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "All right. I…I can't argue with you that maybe PlanPol wants something, but what do you think that could be? How would we stop them?"

"Are you asking me?"

Takehiro sat down on the table and perched a leg up on one of its chairs.

"I'm worried about Takato… We're _both_ worried, but right now I'm concerned that you're blowing this up into something bigger than it could be. We don't know anything right now…"

"We _know_ how they operate! Your brother…"

"…was before the Civil Activists began organizing. Heroi are treated better now; you know it. They didn't take Takato away from us, and we both know that they would have when we were kids."

_Daisuke…_ he commiserated, but he pushed the thought of his brother away for the time being.

Mie was still working her hands; her fingers curling into claws before straightening out. "They just arrested him…"

"It _was_ a bad situation," Takehiro pointed out. "I'm not any happier about it than you are, but Ootori apologized and Takato will be released to us. She even complimented us on his behavior and offered to readjusting his treatment…for free."

"This is about _money?!"_

"It's not, Mie." Takehiro narrowed his eyes, resisting the urge to palm his face. "Damn it, don't turn this into something ugly. All I'm saying is, this is not the behavior of someone from the old PlanPol. They might _not_ have something in mind and maybe they do, but let's not forget that _they…"_ He pointed up at the ceiling where a small, round mirror was situated, "…will still be watching us anyway." Pushing off from the table he went over to Mie and took hold of her by the hand, lowering his voice. "There's nowhere we can go where they won't follow, and they could have done this without asking for permission first."

Mie was trembling now, and he could tell without looking at her how upset she was.

"I hate this," she whispered.

"I know. It's my fault." _My genes._

"I… Oh, Takehiro. I'm just…I'm just so upset about this. This isn't how I thought things would go when we were told—when Takato was born—that he would be normal. He had almost no chances of becoming a heroi. I should have known that his interest in the old stories would be a sign…"

"He's still our son though, through thick and thin. For better or for worse."

"And this… This is the worst. Takehiro… I don't know if we'll get through this. Our son becoming a heroi changed everything."

Leaning into him, she took her hands out of his and wrapped them around his back, holding him close. Takehiro returned the gesture, but it felt empty.

_I want to think that things will turn out all right, but…right now I just don't see how that's going to work._

**###**

"Hellooo…" A curly, blond-haired young man waved a hand through the gaping hole in Rumiko's house before stepping through, one hand in his pants pocket. He took a look around him, measuring the hole with his eyes, whistling in awe. "This is some dramatic renovation…"

"It wasn't on purpose, Michael," came Rumiko's voice from off to the side. Startled, Michael spun around and smiled upon sighting the older woman.

"Hello," he greeted. "Sorry I'm a bit late. I caught your message while I was stuck in traffic."

"That's fine," she replied, pulling her purse onto her shoulder. "Thank you for coming on such short notice and sorry for pulling you into this."

"Don't worry about it. How may I help?"

"I'm…investigating something, and I need you to keep an eye on my daughter for me." Digging into her purse, she produced a small medication bottle, to which Michael raised an eyebrow at. "Rika!" she called.

There was a moment of silence that was soon broken by a door being pushed open. A few moments later, coming on the quiet pitter patter of socked feet on hardwood floor, Rika produced herself. Michael noted that she did not look the least bit happy.

"Come here Rika," Rumiko ordered, pointing in front of her. Rika's cheeks rose slightly as her lips curled downward. For a moment, Michael thought she was going to refuse, but she stepped forward. Reluctantly, but forward all the same.

Rumiko unscrewed the cap and produced a tablet that Michael instantly recognized.

_Suppressant? Rika's a heroi now?_ "Rumiko…" he began, but the woman gave him a sharp glare that shut him up.

"Swallow this," she resumed, turning back to Rika. Still reluctantly, Rika took the pill and slowly placed it in her mouth, all the while staring at her mother defiantly. After a moment, her throat worked and she swallowed.

"Open your mouth," Rumiko ordered, and Rika did just that. The woman peered inside. "Move your tongue," she commanded next, and then satisfied that the girl wasn't hiding anything she stepped back and turned back to Michael. "Make sure that she does _not_ leave your sight."

"She has…?" Michael began, pointing at the girl.

"She does. Same as mine. Do _not_ let her out of her sight. I'll be back as soon as I can, and…hopefully…explain everything once I do." She offered Michael an apologetic look. "Sorry."

Michael chuckled. "Don't be. You'd better get going. I'll handle things from here."

Nodding, Rumiko stepped through the hole in the wall of her home and took to the air, her F.S. Field flaring. Just like that, she was gone into the sky. Michael turned to Rika.

"So," he began. "Do _you_ want to tell me what this is all about?"

Rika's only response was a dark look at the man. Michael chuckled.

_No surprise there…_

9


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Icon

Chapter: 26

Using his crutch to carefully pick his way through the hills and potholes of garbage in his path, Teruo came to a stop in front of a pile of flat, metallic-like disks sitting in a pile—more than he expected. Standing near it was Bob, looking over him.

_"Are you all right?"_ the robot asked, taking in how much Teruo was favoring his leg.

"I'll be fine," Teruo waved him off. "I should be better by tomorrow. Now…" He lifted up one of the disks. "…let's see what we have here." Picking up one of the disks, he turned it over, running a hand across its surface.

_These are definitely transmat platforms. Hmmm…_ He shifted it and squinted. _Silver Age model. I can tell by the gold inlay. Not as efficient, but mostly devoid of damage._ "Where'd you find all these?" he asked, turning up to Bob. "I thought you said that there was only one."

_"Transmat devices are not high priority, and due to the number of layers here it is difficult to maintain an accurate inventory. I noted one transmat platform the last time I passed through the northern section of the yard."_

"How long ago was that?"

_"Twelve years ago."_ Bob noticed the way Teruo raised his eyebrows in surprise. _"Space often folds and stretches to great degrees in the yard. The space in the northern section was significantly smaller at the time and it was easier to travel through. The yard has expanded since then."_

"Of course." Teruo sat down and placed his makeshift crutch on the ground along with the transmat device before picking up another. "Just out of curiosity… Is that safe?"

_"The expanding of space?"_ Bob asked.

"Yeah."

_"It was deemed a necessary addition as landfills were being filled to capacity faster than anticipated. An old spatial distortion core from the Nemesi known as 'Empress' was appropriated to solve the problem. Since then, all remaining debris and technology from the previous Ages were retired here."_

"That didn't really answer my question."

_"At the minimum, should the distortion core be destroyed, the power and material released would destroy Shinjuku. At least, that is what the math said at the time, and it is being reevaluated constantly."_

"Now I wish I didn't ask," Teruo grumbled, not liking the implication in light of his earlier EMP blast. Flipping over the transmat device in his hand he continued. "You'd think they wouldn't have let a town spring up around here. Nothing like sitting on a potential volcano to liven things up. I guess this is why I hadn't heard about how big this place really is." He placed the device on its edge and ran a finger on it. "Very nice… Bronze Age tech. Less loose with its physics and energy budget, but always more accurate." He turned its surface back in his direction. "The crack isn't good but…I may be able to fix that with vacuum welding. Maybe. Depending on the materials used. I'm definitely keeping this."

Placing the device alongside its Silver Age brethren and picked up the next one. This piece was a shining gold piece with a silver center. Teruo tossed it aside like a Frisbee almost as soon as he picked it up with a look of disgust.

"Golden Age. Model T-304. I recognize this crap anywhere. I'd have better luck duct taping someone's molecules together."

_"It was by far in the best shape,"_ Bob said, following the disk's flight path until it crashed into a nearby refrigerator. _"Could you not work around it should the others fail to operate or have equipment to function with? Golden Age technology is the most numerous and is…robust."_

"I could, but not that piece. Model T-304 Transmat Platforms killed people 99 percent of the time they were used. In one war they were altered and turned into a weapon to use against heavy mech bots because that was all they were good for. I'm surprised one of the original models actually found its way here. I thought they were all melted down in the Silver Age."

_"With the amount of technology the Golden Age produced, eventually one was bound to survive an upgrade,"_ Bob noted. _"I have a cousin that is still in his original Bronze Age design. He requires battery-life support to continue functioning. He claims that any change to his structure ruins his historical value."_

"Weird." Teruo sighed and looked over the remaining three disks. These ones were in far rougher shape, with chips and spidery-cracks all along their surfaces.

_All late Bronze Age tech. They used honey-comb cells in their creation for better memory and energy usage. There's no way I can fix those without having an entire industry at my command. Oh well. At least the two I have is usable and fixable. Two out of six isn't bad. Better than I figured._

"All right." Teruo hoisted himself back up, picking up his Transmat Platforms and sticking them in his book bag. "After this, there's the focusing lens and I'll need to strip down some war bots and power transformers and after that I'll say that I'm in business."

_"It is getting late out,"_ Bob reported. _My internal clock states that it is rapidly approaching 3:30 pm. Do you have a credible excuse for your location?"_

"You must get a lot of heroi that pop in here," Teruo frowned. "But you're right. I guess for now I'll have to leave things as is and…"

Another thunderclap broke across his voice. Looking up, Teruo saw another figure dropping out of the sky.

"Oh _maaan!_ Not again! I didn't mean that _really!"_ he complained, hitting the ground with his crutch. Spinning on a dime—or at least as well as he could with a limp—he started to hobble in the opposite direction away from the incoming dive-bombing superhuman. "That's it; I'm getting out of Dodge before someone starts a fight."

_"I know of a weakness in the fence that you can use in the future."_

Teruo's eyes lit up and a grin broke across his face.

**###**

Dust billowed upward like a cloud as Rumiko touched down, her hair, now tied in a simple ponytail, flapped slightly before dropping against her back. Casting her eyes around her, she took in the junkyard.

"I know you're watching me, Ken," she called loudly. "Come out and show yourself already!"

Air shimmered before her before taking on the visage of the dark-haired young man that she left earlier. Rumiko narrowed her eyes at him as his body flickered once before stabilizing.

_"Come to root me out?"_ Ken asked.

"I'm here to give you a warning. Whatever it is that you're up to, I want you to leave my daughter out of it."

_"Fair enough," _Ken shrugged. _"She got me what I wanted anyway."_ The rather blunt response caused Rumiko to blink in surprise.

_ That was too easy… I destroyed that AI unit. Unless… _She thought back to what Riley told her about the break in at the Meta Foundation. "What did Rika get you?"

_"Why don't you ask her?"_ Ken asked, a sardonic grin on his face. _"I'm not in the business to giving information to former heroi that abandon their duty."_

Rumiko felt a coal of anger flare slightly in her heart, but she quickly squashed it. _He's trying to distract me,_ she thought. _I forgot how he knows to push the right buttons to get what he wants._

"Did she have anything to do with the Meta Foundation break in?"

Ken merely smirked at her condescendingly. _"Have you gotten hard of hearing in your old age, Mimi? I already told you that I'm not here to tell you what I'm doing. I know that you had to be told things twice a lot when you were a kid, but I thought that age brought wisdom. How about we just agree that I stop having your daughter work for me and leave it at that?"_

"Ken, I think we _both_ know that she will try to come here on her own, regardless of whatever I say." Rumiko stabbed a finger at the hologram. "And I know you won't stop her. If there's one thing I've known about you, it's that you can make promises but get out on technicalities. She'll come, and you won't _force _her to do anything she doesn't want to do, and she _wants _to find Ran."

Ken chuckled. _"So you have learned a thing or two during the time we associated."_

_ "Ken!"_ Rumiko growled. "What did she get you?!"

Ken considered her for a moment before glancing away, making a _tsking_ sound. All the while he didn't lose his smirk.

_"Well… If you must know, it concerns a group of heroi that have been massing lately called _the Noir._ You've heard of them, right?" _He eyed Rumiko, taking in the tension in her body for a moment before continuing. _"The Meta Foundation has been showing signs of connections with them."_

"Does Rika think…?"

_"She hasn't mentioned anything about what she thinks,"_ Ken interrupted. _"She's smarter than you give her credit for. She is however looking for her sister, and I've only been using that to point her in whatever directions sound to her that might be a clue. The Noir? I already know that she's not a part of that group. They're only tools. I haven't yet shared that with your daughter."_

Rumiko ran a hand through her hair, sighing in exasperation. "This… If PlanPol knew about this…"

_"It won't matter whether they know or not. They have bigger things to worry about. You already know about that I'm sure."_ Ken smirked._ "The city has had a visitor and made a mess of the museum. Crushed a priceless relic at that—a hydra egg."_ Ken's smirk opened wide as he burst out laughing. _"Well, I've always believed that it's better to be safe than sorry with those throwbacks! Dangerous antiques like that have no place in the Modern Age."_

Rumiko lowered her hand, looking at Ken with a flat, dark stare.

"You won't go to PlanPol on your own then?" she asked. Ken placed his hands in his pockets, his smile one of supreme confidence.

_"We'd both benefit by their not knowing. The Meta Foundation has its goal. I can't say that I disapprove of it, thinking back on all the things we've lost since the City was banished. Don't you want to see everyone again?"_

"I'd rather know where Ran is," Rumiko said flatly.

_"I can't help you with that. What Rika brought me had nothing pertaining to her. Just a reference to the Noir and their satellite system. The satellites…"_ Ken chuckled. _"Well. That would spoil the surprise for PlanPol."_

"What surprise?"

_"I think that's enough chitchat now,"_ Ken said. _"Until you find me, you won't get anything more out of me."_

Rumiko tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowing as though she were listening for something. She was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Found you."

At that, Ken's eyes went wide, and at once he vanished from sight, disappearing in a shower of sparkles. Rumiko wasted no time however as she jetted forward, her surroundings blurring as she accelerated. Wreckage exploded away from her as she flew forward…only to be abruptly stopped as a metallic claw ripped its way free from the ground and snatched hold of her. Rumiko grunted as the steel trap pinned her arms to her side. Looking down, she swore as a massive, heavily plated robot lifted itself from out of a pile of metal garbage.

_Damn it! How did he…? Never mind! Just…I've just got to get free! He can't have much time to escape!_

With a loud scream, Rumiko threw all her strength against the robot's claw-like clamps. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the claw began to pull apart. Shifting for better leverage, she continued to press her strength against the machine. With one final scream, the ancient war-bot's claw ripped apart with explosive force. Grabbing hold of one of the pieces, she sent it hurtling into the robot's head, smashing through its eye and skewering its computer brain. Not finished with the metallic monster yet, Rumiko flew forward. Pulling one arm back, she smashed a fist into the machine's chest, sending sparks of electricity arcing all along its abdomen and slashing at Rumiko's body, causing her to be blasted away by the shocks and sent flying backward into a heap of jagged trash. She burst free from the pile moments later and, after taking a quick look at her cybernetic attacker, she took to the air once again, returning to her original course.

**###**

The silence of the Nonaka household was oppressive. Michael noticed that even the dog that the family had picked up was unbearably quiet. Sitting on the couch with Rika in the chair across from him he took her in, trying to guess at what was on her mind. It wasn't hard, given what had happened before Rumiko left. The girl looked tense, and Michael couldn't say that he blamed her.

_Rumiko didn't give me a whole lot to go on when she called me,_ he mused. _I should have asked for something…_ He grimaced at the memory of Rumiko ordering her daughter to take a suppressant pill. That had not been something he ever expected to see. He had been friends with the family for quite a number of years, and he couldn't recall Ran, the eldest daughter, being made to deal with that, even at her most rebellious.

As he muddled through the memories, Rika abruptly got up from her chair and moved to leave the room. The puppy's head rose to watch her go and he sprang to his feet to follow.

"Where are you going?" Michael asked, getting up and starting after her.

"To get some water and something to eat," Rika replied flatly. "I can do that, right?"

"That's not a problem," Michael said. He fumbled for something else to say. "So…" began he began as he and Rika wandered into the kitchen. "You're a heroi now? When did this happen?"

His attempt at sounding jovial did not bring out the response that he hoped it would. Rika did not so much as respond to him. Instead she went into the cupboard and began to root through its contents.

_She won't call me 'uncle' like she used to?_

Sighing mentally, he altered his tactics a little.

"You know, I can understand you not wanting to tell your mother about having powers. I was the same way when I was your age."

Still not saying anything, Rika slammed the cupboard door shut after producing a container of salt. Looking up at Michael, she glared at him for a moment before moving over to the sink and turning the hot water handle to the faucet.

"Look…" continued Michael, frustrated for some kind of dialogue to happen between them. "Just _what_ happened between the two of you? This has to be more than just a typical teenager and mother spat." He glanced behind him, indicating the mess over in the next room. "If you could just tell me, I might be able to help you."

Rika withdrew a cup from above the sink and filled it up with hot water. Grabbing the salt, she flipped the lid open.

"Help me?" she asked. "You didn't see my mother force-feeding me suppressant?"

"I did," Michael replied. "And I'd like to point out that she said you have the same powers as she does. I may not know what's going on, but judging by a certain hole in the wall she has good reason for keeping you under wraps and out of trouble."

"Figures you'd support her," Rika said, taking the salt container into the sink and pouring it into her cup.

"I've known her for a long time. She's earned my trust. Do you have anything that would get me to change my mind?"

Rika lifted the cup to her mouth, but before she could chug the salt water down, Guilmon bumped up against her leg with a rough sort of doggy-hug, causing some of her 'drink' to spill down onto her arm.

"Guilmon!" she scolded before raising the glass once again to her lips.

Michael grabbed her wrist.

"That won't do you any good you know," Michael said, a small grin gracing his lips. "Suppressant dissolves the second it hits your stomach. All you'll do is make yourself sick drinking that, and you won't get your powers back."

Releasing her wrist, Michael stepped back. Rika glowered at him before setting the down on the countertop.

"You can talk about it, you know," Michael prompted. Making a disgusted sound, Rika stepped past him.

"Like it's going to matter," she replied. "You'll just agree with her anyway."

"You could at least try to convince me." Michael turned to follow her. "What? You don't think that anyone can understand? Or that I can't because I'm an adult?"

Rika didn't respond. _Even if I told him, he still wouldn't do anything. He'd probably just say we should sit here and wait for Mom to come home so we can talk about this. I'm sick of waiting. I've got to find a way to ditch this guy and…_

As Rika passed by the hole in the wall of her home, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she came face to face with a tall girl with long, blond hair tied behind her head. Sky-blue eyes latched onto her own violet ones and Rika felt her body grow cold.

_"Rika…"_ the figure spoke in a voice that was all-too familiar, causing Rika's breath to catch in her throat.

"Ran!" she called out, darting through the hole and into the yard. No sooner did she touch ground, the figure became translucent and vanished from sight. Rika looked around her, bewildered.

"Ran… _Ran!"_ she called out. Nothing. No response. There was no other sound beyond the usual ones of children playing outside the gate. Rika pressed a hand against her forehead, her eyes wide. Behind her, Guilmon approached her and sat down, eyes looking up at her and head tilted to one side worryingly.

_What was that? What did I just see? Was Ran trying to contact me? Am I going crazy?_

"Rika?" came Michael's voice from inside the house, interrupting her train of thought. "Hey! Is everything all right?"

Rika shot a glare over her shoulder and took off at a run toward the gate. He heard Michael's shout as he appeared at the hole in the house, but she ignored him. Grabbing hold of the iron bars, she swung herself up, hooking her legs on the top rungs and dropped herself on the other side.

_I'm done with this,_ she thought. _Powers or not, I'm not going to just sit around and wait to get answers!_

With determination blazing in her heart, she took off at a run.

**###**

Michael arrived at the gate too late to stop the girl from making her escape.

_Terrific!_ he thought, slamming a hand against the lock on the gate while beside him Guilmon yapped loudly, trying to chase after the girl. Raising one hand, he concentrated until small, crystalline particles materialized above his index finger. Pointing it at the lock, the particles flowed into its keyhole and solidified into ice. Upon twisting it, the lock released and the gate swung open slightly.

"Whoa there!" Michael exclaimed, placing a foot in front of Guilmon as he attempted to dart outside. Pushing the gate shut, he took hold of the animal and lifted him. Guilmon struggled to free himself, but for the moment was victim the fact that Michael was bigger than him. "Can't have you running off on your own. I think I saw a leash in the hallway. Give me a moment to hook you up and then we'll chase after your owner."

**###**

Rumiko tore through the junkyard at breakneck speed before finally slamming back down to ground. Behind her, debris and old artifacts came crashing down behind her.

"I'm here now, Ken," she said in a low, dangerous voice. "You're going to tell me what I want to know."

Concentrating, she listened carefully until she heard the slight buzzing that she had been expecting to hear. Zeroing in on a dirty metal plate she surged over to it and ripped it off, flinging it to the side. She paused for a moment, considering the possibility that she was walking into a trap.

_He wouldn't be this careless, and so far I've only ran into one of his 'guards'._ She narrowed her eyes, but quickly dropped down the tunnel. Regardless of whether or not she was walking into a trap, she had to press forward. Landing at the bottom, she took a quick glance around her before heading off in the direction where light was coming from. Within short order she burst into a room full of computers, screens, and electrical wires spread all over the place.

_He escaped,_ she thought bitterly, pulling one hand into a tight, angry fist. Attempting to relieve herself of her frustration, she swung to the side, smashing her fist into the dirt wall. The empty room shuddered a little, causing some clods of dirt to fall around her. Rumiko breathed a heavy sigh, not feeling much better. _I should have known…_

The lights on the computer screens lit up, revealing Ken's smiling face.

_"Hello, Mimi,"_ he greeted. _"While I admit that the speed that you discovered my main base surprised me, just discovering it was well within my ability to predict. I am familiar with all of your powers, as you well know."_

"Ken…" Rumiko began, but the dark-haired youth shook a finger at her to silence her.

_"I'm already far away from here. You can trace this signal if you want, but the properties of this place will ensure that will be problematic for you and anyone else. That and I won't give you enough time to do so."_

Rumiko whirled around as a heavy-steel door rose up from the ground behind her, locking her in the room.

_"I hoped that we could have talked more, but since you don't want to listen, I'm afraid I'm going to have to terminate negotiations. And this base as well. Sorry about that. Goodbye."_

Tipping her a wink and a salute, Ken's visage disappeared, dissolving into a blue screen with a countdown number on it, starting from five. Her eyes growing wide, Rumiko dashed to the steel door and slammed her fists into it. The door shuddered and it strained, but did not fall.

_Three… Two…_

Rumiko spun and kicked at the door. With a heavy groan, it started to collapse.

_One…_

White light and fire accompanied by thunder exploded around her, blinding the woman as the base collapsed all around her.

**###**

"What was that?" Teruo asked, hearing the sound of something exploding from off in the distance. "Tell me that wasn't whoever keeps dropping in around here."

_"Unfortunately I do not have any information available to confirm or deny what is happening,"_ replied Bob. _"Do you wish to investigate, or should we continue on our way?"  
_"Let's keep going," Teruo replied. "As much as I would like, I'd rather be done and out of here, and know of a good way to get in without having to constantly risk blowing up the city to do it." He shuddered again, thinking about how perilously close he had come to doing just that with the transformer. _If that EMP was just a little bit stronger, would it have blown everything up?_

_ "Very well then,"_ Bob replied. _"Then let us continue. This way."_

Adjusting his crutch, Teruo resumed following the robot. "How much further do we have to go?" he asked. His leg was hurting quite a bit from the distance that they traveled. It seemed as though the path went on forever. _Is it because of the warp?_

_ "We'll be there once we pass over this hill,"_ Bob said as they began to climb. Teruo swallowed as he searched for easy purchase, putting just enough weight on the garbage to ensure that he could lift himself up without worrying about his injured leg giving out beneath him. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the two reached the top where Teruo was greeted by a most bizarre sight.

"What… What is that?" he asked, pointing at the fence. He would have felt foolish asking such a question, as normally the fence itself wouldn't have warranted a question, but the fact that one of the chain-links, instead of being barely large enough to fit a finger through, was now large enough for a tank to drive through.

_"The spatial distortion in this section is…distorted."_ Bob looked at Teruo and gave a helpless shrug. _"For lack of a better description. The position shifts daily, but it's a doorway that my superior used for a time before he settled here. There's a narrow pathway that you can use to leave the premises without being affected by the warp."_

"That is…weird." Teruo rubbed his chin quizzically. "No one's noticed it?"

_"My superior hasn't mentioned it, and as no one has come to investigate I would assume not"_

Teruo looked over his shoulder, feeling uncomfortable, but soon decided to abandon his line of thought for the time being. "Where is the safe zone?"

_"My superior told me that you need to stay close to the edge. The warp is located close to the center. You won't be able to get out that way."_

"What happens if I go into the center?"

_"I do not know,"_ Bob replied. _"Would you like to experiment?"_

"Not really. Better not look a gift horse in the mouth. My mini-bot is still looking around. Can you keep an eye out for it for me?"

_"I will."_

"You're a good robot," Teruo grinned. "I'll try and get back here as soon as I can." With that, the young, green-white-haired boy carefully picked his way down the hill and headed toward the warp. Just to see what would happen, he pointed his crutch into the area that Bob had defined as the 'safe zone'.

_So far nothing,_ Teruo noted, carefully inching his way into line. He hoped that he wasn't making a mistake. _One wrong move and I'll have my guts stretched out all across this junkyard. _He shivered at the mental image of his body parts being pulled and expanded in multiple directions. He picked up his pace, wanting to get out of the junk yard as quickly as possible. Soon enough he stepped outside the fence and into the normal world beyond it. Breathing a sigh of relief he looked around and blinked when he saw that the doorway had vanished, replaced by the normal chain links that made up the fence.

"H-Huh…" he stuttered, not certain how he felt about that. Moving closely, he poked at the fence with his crutch, trying to find where he exited.

The fence shimmered slightly, but did no more.

"Weird…" He scratched his head. _I'll need to figure this one out. It would be great if I had a regular way in instead of having to risk blowing up the city every time._

Checking the time, Teruo decided that now was not the best time to think about that sort of thing and immediately began to hobble off in the direction of home as quickly as possible.

**###**

Darkness. Pain. _No air!_ Fingernails scratched and clawed desperately at the earth until finally they broke through into the light. Speeding up her efforts, Rumiko broke through the ground and took a deep gulp of air—sweet, _glorious_, air. Never before had it tasted so sweet. Her breasts, barely visible through the tattered remains of her shirt, heaved as she climbed out of the ruins of Ken's base, her lungs drinking in the air like wine. Rumiko pulled her leg out and collapsed to the ground, resting her face against the warm ground.

Never had freedom and warm light felt so good on her bare skin before, and she savored every second of it.

Rumiko quickly sobered though. Coughing, she rose up, her shirt slipping down over her shoulder slightly and she looked down at its pitiable state—burnt, tattered, and covered with dirt—before pulling it back up. Stubbornly, it slipped back down. Rumiko decided to leave it be and she got to her feet, dusting off her jeans. A pointless gesture, but it helped her hands stay busy while she took stock of her situation.

_That could have gone better…_ she commiserated, placing her hands on her hips._ I've achieved nothing. Ken will probably still use Rika and she'll try to look for him. _Bringing her hand up to her temples, she massaged them gently. _And I'm no closer to finding Ran than I was before._

Rumiko felt deathly tired, but she tried to listen for any signals that Ken may be broadcasting. She heard nothing for the time being and she quickly gave up.

_I guess I'm going to have to take what I can get and try and keep Rika out of trouble. Should I involve PlanPol or…should I tell Rika everything?_

Sighing despondently, Rumiko kicked lightly at the ground and took to the air. Giving the junkyard one final look she headed for home.

**###**

A/N: With this I have broken 100,000 words for this story, the number that I consider the 'stress test' for a story of this nature. Still, this story wasn't originally intended for fanfiction, and as such I must inform readers that I'm only going to write five more chapters for this story on this site before switching it over to fictionpress, where I'll be able to better write the characters as my characters and not using personalities that weren't intended for them. I hope you all understand and I'll see you all next chapter. 'Till then.

-Crazyeight

9


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Icon

Chapter: 27

Ken settled himself down in the chair of his new base of operations—one of the many backup outposts that he scattered throughout the Shinjuku junkyard in the event—and signed himself in to his network.

"Everything looks good," he said as the screens lit up one after the other. "The damage is recoverable." Leaning back, he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't _have_ to be so antagonistic towards Rumiko—_Mimi—_but he simply couldn't help it. Her insistence on laying low and rolling over to allow PlanPol just irked him.

_Ryo wouldn't have settled for it back in the old days. He would have been resisting PlanPol. Mimi would have fought by his side back then, but now…_ Ken opened up a file, revealing the structure of the Meta Foundation's satellite system. _Well, it won't matter in the end. Once the satellites are up and running, things will change._ He sighed, his expression becoming crestfallen. _The world didn't understand what we had to give up then. I'll be glad to take it all back. Ryo… Tai… Everyone._

A satisfied smile spread across his face and Ken shifted to get more comfortable in his seat. He was very much going to enjoy the days ahead.

**###**

Rumiko touched down on the front lawn of her home and unconsciously pulled up the tattered shirt to cover her bare shoulder. It immediately slipped back down and she ignored it once again. With a heavy sigh, she entered the house through the hole in the wall. It was quiet and not a light was on. That wasn't necessarily surprising itself, given that it was only now closing in on late afternoon, but the living room itself was dark enough that some lights should have been on. Rumiko narrowed her eyes. As tired as she was, the thought of the trouble she had with her daughter still played very much on her mind.

"Michael?" she called out. "Rika?"

No response. That was not an encouraging sign. She made a quick inspection of the house and found nothing—no messages, no one in any of the rooms. A horrifying thought entered Rumiko's mind. Had Rika found a way around the suppressant? Did her powers return?

_They weren't made for her specifically,_ she thought, grabbing the bottle out of her purse and checking them over. _Michael is a heroi, but he wouldn't be able to keep up with her even if he wasn't suppressed._ Rumiko ran a hand over her mouth, trying to order her fracturing thoughts. _Where are they? PlanPol?_ It seemed like the most logical answer. Michael… _No! He wouldn't do that! Not unless Rika somehow managed to go on a rampage. His cell! If I call him…_

Thanking the gods for the convenience of modern technology, she dragged out her cell phone and her hopes crumbled to dust upon discovering that the device's screen was cracked and its casing a broken ruin. As good as her invulnerability was, it did not extend to anything on her person. That did not leave her with much. Pulling off the back, desperate for there to be something—_anything—_she ripped out the battery, ignoring the acid that bubbled out, and checked the sim card. It too was a hopeless case. Throwing the phone to the side against the wall where it smashed apart, she staggered backward, her hands going up to her temples.

With a touch of bitterness, she found herself reflecting on how soft she had gotten over the years. She couldn't even recall Michael's cell number on her own anymore.

_Rika! I've got her number written down somewhere! On the fridge! If she answers…_

If. That word alone stopped her up. _If_ Rika answered. _If_ she wasn't in trouble, be it with PlanPol or something else. _If. If. If._ Rika would no more answer her calls than she would PlanPol's. She ran her hand through her hair in frustration. She had to do something, and fast.

_The junkyard!_ Her mind seized on the thought like gold. If Rika had left the house on her own for any reason that would be the most likely place she would go. To have a confrontation with her perhaps? To save Ken? _I've got to go back there!_

Grabbing a jacket from off the coat hanger she zipped it up to cover her top and stepped outside…only to be greeted by three PlanPol Guardian Spheres.

_"Citizen Rumiko Nonaka,"_ they intoned as one. _"You have been found guilty of using heroi powers in restricted Imperial airspace. Surrender yourself to our authority and await for extraction."_

Rumiko found herself absolutely flummoxed by this sudden and unexpected development, but her eyes quickly narrowed to dagger-fine points.

_I can't be stopped here. I _won't!

Pulling her hands into tight fists, her F.S. Field flared brilliantly before she launched herself at the Guardian Spheres.

**###**

There were times where Riley really hated being in a position of authority. The number of problems that she felt she had to deal with directly; the people who wanted her authorization or needed her attention for something… It just never seemed to end.

_They tell me to delegate matters, but whenever I do it affects our budget,_ she grumbled mentally as she entered the main control room. _At least my business with Takato and his family is concluded. _

The screens that had been shut down during the virus attack were back online and full system control was established. She found Tally standing next to Coleman by a computer.

"Report," she ordered, approaching the pair.

"Show her what's on security screen four," Tally said, nodding to Coleman. The agent tapped a key and the computer monitor lit up.

_ A video feed,_ Riley noted. It was a jumbled mess, as whatever was sending them the footage was having to move about rapidly, though whether it was in an attempt to dodge or pursue something wasn't very clear, but she recognized the statistic reports along the sidebar as belonging to a Guardian Sphere. Suddenly the image rocked even _more_ violently and then dissolved into static.

"What happened?"

"Rewind by 0.9 seconds," Tally ordered, and Coleman did so, pausing and freezing the frame. Moving forward, Riley scowled as she saw the identity of the sphere's attacker. There, frozen with a look of murder on her face, was Rumiko Nonaka, fist drawn back and teeth bared in a snarl.

"She was spotted over the area of the junkyard after we received a report of an explosion from the area," Coleman said, folding his arms over his chest. "She appears to have been in a fight, and our spheres followed her to her house. There's some structural damage to its exterior."

"What is her current status?" Riley asked.

"On the run, heading back in the direction of the junkyard."

"Reroute all nearby Guardian Spheres and have them lock in on her bio-signature. Do _not_ engage. Tally, get me a vehicle. I'm going to meet with her in person."

"Ma'am?" Tally began uncertainly. "Shouldn't we incapacitate her first? Her power level…"

"I'm _meeting_ with her in person," Riley interrupted, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Now get me a vehicle! _Now!"_

Tally jumped at the force Riley injected into that last sentence and immediately flipped open her phone, her fingers scrambling over the buttons. They had a helicopter on the main roof that would allow them to get to the junkyard quickly. Tally hoped that it would be enough.

**###**

Takato and his parents made their way down the stairs outside of the PlanPol main office building, temporary replacement Companion module in hand. Takato turned it over, wondering whether he should activate it now or wait to see if Jeri would be returned to him. As last time, he had twenty-four hours to activate the Companion or else he would be deemed a danger to society. He scratched the side of his head, but before he could finish making his decision, a familiar, loud voice called out to him.

_"Takato!"_

His head snapping up, the boy found his eyes falling on the figure of Kazu, kneeling over slightly with his hands on his knees while gasping.

"Kazu?" Takehiro asked before Takato could speak. The adult made his way down the stairs with Takato quickly following suit, a concerned look on both of their faces.

"Finally…made it…" Kazu breathed. He gave Takato a thumbs up and a grin. "Guess I wasn't needed after all…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Takehiro raising an eyebrow. Takato looked up at his father, imitating his expression.

"I could ask the same thing, Dad. But you keep stealing all of my lines."

"Take it easy you two," Mie scolded—or tried to. Her tone didn't sound as though she were very into it at the moment. "Can we help you with something, Kazu?"

"Actually I came here to help you," the boy wheezed, wiping a hand over his brow. "I figured that PlanPol was going to be holding chumley prisoner, so I figured I'd…try to break him out and…and I know how dumb that sounds…"

"How about we talk about this somewhere other than a government building?" Takehiro sighed, placing an arm around the boy and steering him in the other direction. "Do you need to rest up a bit?"

"Nah," Kazu waved the adult off. "I'm good. Seeing that Takato made it out okay sure calmed me down." He gave his friend a quizzical look. "You _are_ all right, right?"

"I'll show you the torture scars later," Takato chuckled, leaving his parents to look at him in shock.

_"Takato!"_ Mie exclaimed. "This is _not…"_

"Ah, he's just kidding!" Kazu wrapped an arm around Takato's neck and pulled him close. "Don't worry about it. Hey, can I steal him for a bit? We were supposed to hang out and we got interrupted."

"I…Takato…" Mie blanched, looking uncertain before turning toward Takehiro. Unbeknownst to the two boys, ghosts of her conversation with her husband played behind her eyes, but Takehiro made a _shooing_ gesture at them.

"Just turn on the Companion before you go," he said. "And be back before dark. We'll see you at the house."

"Takehiro, are you sure…?"

"Plenty," he said, taking Mie's hand into his own. "Now come on. We have to check in with our bosses anyway."

With that, Takehiro pulled his wife away from the two boys and left them to their own devices. Kazu grinned and looked down at his friend, still holding him beneath his armpit.

"You've got the coolest parents ever. My folks wouldn't have let me off the hook that easily after a brush with the law."

"Kazu? Could you let me go?" asked Takato, pushing against his friend's arm. "You smell like you ran all the way from downtown!"

"Sorry about that," Kazu laughed, withdrawing his arm and freeing the other boy's head. "So now that you're free to go, how about we go see if Kenta's home?"

"Kenta?" Takato asked, looking a bit confused before remembering that their friend had up and vanished during the attack at the mall. "Wait! You mean you don't know where he is? He wasn't outside the mall or anything?"

"Nope," Kazu replied with a click of his tongue. "He's not answering his cell phone either. The dude ditched us and I want to know what the deal is." He looked up at PlanPol, rubbing a hand across his chin. "You don't think that they nabbed him too, do you?"

"I couldn't tell," Takato shook his head. "I think they would have told me if they did."

"Why's that?"

"Uh…because I'm friends with him? You know, to make sure that I wasn't lying, like they do in all those crime shows my parents watch?"

Kazu waved a dismissive hand at him. "You watch too much TV. Nah. They weren't nabbing any of the normal folks, otherwise they would have arrested me too. Let's go check out his place and see if he's in."

"Kazu… Don't you think we ought to let this one slide?" Takato placed a hand on his friend's shoulder firmly. "He was probably freaked out of his mind and thought we were right behind him. I know we _would_ have been if we didn't just…stand there." It sounded lame, he knew it, but what other way was there to describe their actions? They just froze to the spot and watched as the terrorists started wrecking havoc. Closing his eyes, he saw the lizard-man as he ripped into the normal-hero, the Midnight Defender, as he rose to do his duty.

_I…I had powers and I didn't do anything…_

"Hey Takato?"

"Yeah?" Takato asked, slowly opening his eyes.

"Do you mind getting your hand off me? You're starting to bite in really hard."

"Sorry," he mumbled, withdrawing his arm. "I guess I'm just a little freaked out about today."

"You should be. That was some pretty freaky stuff." He looked at Takato with sympathetic eyes and finally sighed. "Great. Now I can't be mad at Kenta anymore. That was some _really_ freaky stuff. People getting attacked in a mall? Who would have thought that would happen?"

"The old stories…"

"…called heroi like that nemesi, but I don't think that makes a difference to the guys upstairs." Kazu scowled and stuffed his hand into his pockets. "Look, let's at least go and make sure that Kenta's doing all right. Today already sucks enough without adding one of our buddies to the casualty list."

**###**

"Takehiro… What are you thinking, letting him go out on his own so soon after…after…?" Mie looked over her shoulder, helplessly gesturing with one hand for emphasis.

"Takato needs some cool down time," Takehiro replied as the two adults approached a bus stop. "Something to distract him and take his mind off what happened. We can talk to him when he gets home, but right now I just feel that it's important that he not feel like we're coddling him."

"Like your father did when your brother had his 'accident'?" Mie asked pointedly. Takehiro frowned.

"You've always said that Takato is a lot like me. He can bounce back from problems when he's moving in the world. You had to drag me out of my room to get me going again, but once my feet were planted on sidewalk and walking, I…got better."

"Takato is still a child," Mie said, matching her husband's frown with one of her own. "You weren't when you lost Daisuke. How do you know how Takato will react? He's never dealt with loss before!"

"I never dealt with a terrorist attack either."

"You _still_ haven't! Takehiro…"

"You're being overprotective of him, Mie," Takehiro cut in. "Gods… Mie… Sometimes…" He drew in a breath and attempted to reign his emotions in.

"Sometimes?" Mie prodded, not letting it go. "Sometimes what?" Pulling her hand out of his she placed it and its twin on her hips, giving him a hard look. "Yes, I _am_ concerned about our son. Maybe I'm overprotective but…"

"Mie…" Takehiro raised his hands up in a placating gesture. "We're in public." For emphasis he looked around him, seeing the looks that they were getting.

_"Let_ them talk!" Mie snapped. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she, despite herself, took in the onlookers. "Our son," she resumed in a quieter tone, "has had so much change in his life in just a few short days. He hasn't had time to adjust. Has he had a chance to think about what being a heroi is going to mean for him once he goes back to school? And this terrorist attack… Kids his age do _not_ see this sort of thing! They _shouldn't!"_

Takehiro looked at his wife, his hands lowering. He felt helpless to defend his position…helpless to defend his son from the life that was ahead of him. Helpless…against the world.

_What can he do? What can _I _do? He has powers now, but they're not going to help him. How can he adjust without going out there?_

The answer was obvious to him. Adjustment might be impossible. The life Takato had grown up with was over. He had Kazu and Kenta, but how long would they stay with him once things swung into full gear? Even with the suppressant, having abilities was like bringing a gun to school. His Companion would mark him.

"We'll do our best to support him," he said finally, his fingers taking hold of Mie's. "We'll work something out. Change schools if we have to. PlanPol…they've expressed an interest in him. That…" Takehiro swallowed. He couldn't believe he was saying this. His tongue twisted around the words, tasting bile. "That has to count for something in his court."

"PlanPol?" Mie whispered, her hand tightening around his. "Are you _serious?!"_

A bus drew to a halt next to them, and Mie pulled away from her husband to get on it. Takehiro stood there for a moment, his expression one of defeat, before turning to follow her.

**###**

Rumiko hit the ground inside the Shinjuku Junkyard and stood up.

"Rika!" she called out, paying no mind to the dust cloud that she had kicked up from the impact of her landing. Hearing a buzzing sound behind her, she spun and spotted an incoming swarm of Guardian Spheres.

_She won't come out if she sees those,_ Rumiko thought. Her F.S. Field flaring she grabbed the ruins of a bus and hoisted it into the air. Balancing it in her hands, adjusting her grip so that she wouldn't drop it carelessly, she jumped into the air and swung the bus like a bat, catching a half dozen orbs and causing them to shatter and explode against its steel surface. Spinning it in her grasp again, she tried to catch another six but these orbs were better prepared than their compatriots, flying and cart wheeling around the makeshift, oversized club with acrobatic ease.

_They're not firing at me,_ Rumiko thought, swinging her head around in an attempt to spot one. _And this bus is really cramping my style._

Letting go of her weapon, she charged after the first orb that entered her field of vision. Her F.S. Field burned and she lashed out, catching the orb with lightning-quick reflexes. Her fingers tightened around its casing and the Guardian Sphere collapsed, its armor splintering between her fingers. Dropping its remains to the ground below she spun around, trying to locate the others. They remained in clear view, but were now outside of her speed's effective ability to catch. Still, she had to try, if only to give her even a _few_ moments of peace to find her daughter. All she needed was a few moments…

Tearing through the air, wind blowing past her face, she charged the nearest one, hand already reaching out to grab it…

She didn't make it. The orb's electric eye glowed blue for a moment and in the next Rumiko felt as though her nerves were being set on fire. Changing direction on a dime she dove downward. Blind with pain, she didn't realize how fast she was going until she impacted the ground, rebounding off it with a sickening crunch before crashing into a pile of debris. Dazed, though unharmed, she staggered to her feet, shoving metal debris out of the way and trying to get her bearings. The orbs dropped down to her level, all eyes glowing blue.

_They've got my F.S. Field analyzed,_ she thought, shaking the cobwebs from her head. _Not good._

More orbs were dropping around her, and Rumiko began to calculate how quickly she could escape before they turned on their new weapon. Her odds did not look good but she decided to chance it anyway. She leapt back into the air. _If I can just get out of their range and double back…_

She didn't get a chance to complete her thought. Multiple eyes glowed blue and at once her body felt as though a burning meteorite had hit it, causing her to fall back to the ground, a loud, surprised scream breaking free from her lips. She bit down with all her strength—enough to actually pierce her aura of invulnerability and cause her to bleed—to silence her shrieks and they abruptly broke off. If Rika were in the area as she initially hoped—and she now desperately wanted to believe that she wasn't—then the screams would only draw her attention. Kicking at the ground, she snapped off a chunk of steel that smashed into one of the orbs, shattering it into pieces.

The pain did not let up however. Quite the contrary, the orbs intensified their attack on her. Invisible fire blazed a trail through every inch of her body. Her guts churned and she vomited onto the ground, some blood from her lip working its way in. Her eyes rolled up into her head, but still she refused to cry out again.

_I won't…cry out. I…won't…cry…_out!

She gagged as her throat's muscles pitted its indomitable strength against her will power, the two locked in a stalemate that only one could inevitably win. Spots formed over her vision as a new pain blew into existence in her neck from muscles that threatened to tear themselves loose. Escaping from the orbs was now beyond being an option! She had to make it to unconsciousness! She…

"All right, that's enough!" came the enraged shout of Riley Ootori over the noise of a helicopter coming in for a landing. "I said that's _enough!_ Directive 206, priority Alpha! Cease and desist your attack _now!"_

At once the burning pain vanished and Rumiko's body all but collapsed in on itself as relief flooded her veins. A shadow fell over her and Rumiko, with a weakness in her body she didn't even know she was capable of, turned toward its owner, tear trailing a path down her grime-stained face.

"Riley…" she coughed, her voice barely above a whisper. The other woman dropped down beside her and pressed a hand to her throat, checking her pulse. Through her darkening vision, Rumiko saw Riley turn an _enraged_ look at the agents approaching behind her.

"Who the hell gave the order to shoot her?! I left specific instructions to _not engage!"_

There was a mumbled response, but Rumiko was now too far gone to make out what it was. Whatever it was, Riley clearly did not like it for her response, though now inaudible, was blistering enough to start forest fires.

The last thing Rumiko thought as she left consciousness completely was that of her daughter.

**###**

"Who the hell gave the order to shoot her?!" Riley demanded her aids as they rapidly approached her. One of them, a young man and fresh out of training judging from his lack of grey hair, visibly jerked back as though he had been struck by her words. Riley didn't care, and she continued to blast forward. "I left specific instructions to _not engage!"_

She turned her angry glare over at the Guardian Spheres as though they could provide her with answers, but it was about as useful as squeezing water from stone for all the good it did her.

"The order came from Tally," replied one of the agents tentatively after a moment of checking. _That_ surprised Riley, and her expression must have shown it. Getting up she made her way over to the agent that had spoken and grabbed his headset.

"Coleman!" Was she shouting? Her voice shook with rage, but over the sound of the helicopter's rotary blades she couldn't tell. She wanted so very badly to break something just now. But she had to control herself. Be professional… "Get a medical copter down here! Rumiko's down. She…"

She glanced back at the woman. Save for the barely perceptible rise of her chest, she was not moving. _Pulse is low, her breathing shallow…_

"…she is in need of medical attention. Do you acknowledge?"

_"I copy,"_ Coleman replied. _"Sending for Shinjuku Hospital now."_

Rumiko shoved the headset back into the hands of the agent that she borrowed it from. "Secure the perimeter. Do not let anyone in or out without my say-so." Making her way back over to Rumiko she checked her pulse rate again. It remained slow, but it wasn't as ragged as it had been earlier. Not that it left her feeling any better about it. As she pulled her hand away, she heard Rumiko whisper one word… A name in fact.

_"Rika…"_

**###**

_The Meta Foundation…_

Rika Nonaka stood outside the building, her eyes flashing angrily. Its emblem, a star design whisking through an artistic representation of space, as though it were reaching for the heavens that the gods were believed to once stride in as they created their worlds.

_This is where it all started,_ she thought, glaring up at the building. How long had it been since her sister left home for college? A year? It felt longer, but when she came back to visit Ran reported that she was going to intern for the company. She could still remember the look of satisfaction on her face when she told their mother the news…and how quickly it dissolved when Rumiko came out against the idea. The shouting match that followed… Rika balled her hand into a fist at the memory. When Ran left the house, determined to take the internship it felt as though a light had gone out in the household.

Ran still called and sent emails; she hadn't removed herself from the family, but as time went on they became increasingly less frequent, and she ultimately never bothered to show up for the holidays.

Then came the note that Rika found in their mailbox when she got home from school.

_Get me out._

Thinking about the visage she saw outside her home, Rika's nails bit into her cuts, causing them to bleed again.

_I'll get you out. As soon as my powers are back,_ she promised, turning her back on the building. _Even if I have to tear the whole place apart to do it, I'll do it._

8


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 28

Takato and Kazu finally found themselves outside of Kenta's home. Looking at each other briefly Takato punched the doorbell.

"His parents might not be here yet," Kazu said as they waited on the stoop. Takato raised an eyebrow.

"You're just thinking about that now?"

"Did you?"

"Well…no."

"Then get off my case." Kazu folded his arms behind his head. "I've got a lot on my mind."

_Everyone does,_ Takato thought, tapping his fingers against his jeans. Kazu pressed the doorbell again, but as yet they didn't hear the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Maybe we should just leave a message on their house phone," Kazu grumbled. "I think they still have one of those."

"Why don't we try to get a hold of Kenta again? He could just be in a bad signal area."

"For this long?" Kazu shook his head. "Kenta would have to be more lost than usual for that to happen. I'm starting to get really worried about him. Maybe we should check the hospital or something. He could have gotten hurt. I mean, there was that huge explosion we heard…" Kazu's eyes bulged as a horrible thought came to him. "Gods… What if he got caught in that and was crushed or something? What if…"

"Kazu?" Takato raised his hands in a calm-down gesture. "Take it easy. We don't know anything. Let's just give the hospital a call and see."

"Right…" Kazu breathed, settling down a little. "Right. Process of elimination first." He grimaced. "Bad choice of words…"

Takato nodded wordlessly in agreement, pushing the doorbell again just so he had something to do while Kazu made his call. Pulling out his cell phone, the other boy stepped off the stoop and began to dial the hospital's number. As his mother was a nurse there, he had it in his phone's address book so he could leave messages for his mother whenever she lost her cell phone. The rules didn't allow it, but the hospital could be flexible from time to time. Not that Kazu cared about that sort of thing.

While Kazu began to greet the secretary at the hospital, Takato leaning slightly to the side, peering in through the window. While he noted the darkness of the home's interior, he hoped that no one passing by saw him. The last thing he needed was for someone to think of him as a hooligan sizing the house up for a break-in, or even a voyeur.

Out of curiosity he craned his head over his shoulder just in time to see a woman with a stroller passing by, giving the boys an odd look. Blushing lightly, he gave her an embarrassed smile and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Smooth, Takato," Kazu chided, having been watching.

"Anything yet?" Takato asked.

"Just on hold," Kazu shook his head and before speaking directly to the phone. "Yeah, I'm still here. Kenta Kitagawa." A pause before he spoke again. "Okay. Thanks."

With that, Kazu hung up and looked at his phone.

"He didn't get checked in at the hospital where my mom works. That doesn't mean he isn't getting looked at somewhere else. If he was hurt bad enough…"

His phone buzzed and Kazu's eyes lit up in surprise at the caller ID. Hitting the reply button he swung it up to his ear, his lips twisting into an angry snarl.

"Speak of the devil… Where the heck are you, Kenta?!"

Takato gave a sigh of relief. _So he's okay. Well, at least until Kazu gets a hold of him anyway._

_ "Sorry guys,"_ Takato overheard Kenta reply. _"I thought you were right behind me and then… Well… I was…um…"_ Kenta lapsed into a long, uncomfortable bout of stammering and apologies. Nodding his head, Kazu understood what his friend was trying to say.

"Look, it doesn't matter, bud. We're just glad to know that you made it out okay. Where are you? We've been trying to find you all afternoon!"

_"I'm with my mom at the doctor's. She freaked out when she heard the news and drove down to find me. She wants to make sure that I'm all right."_

"Do you think that she'll let you go once you get a clean bill of health?" Kazu asked. "We can meet up at the playground in the park and…"

_"Sorry. Mom's going to be seriously stressed about this, so she probably won't let me out again for a month. If you want to hang out at my place…"_ Kenta abruptly stopped for a moment before speaking again, this time in a more rapid tone. _"She's finished paying the bill. I've got to go. I'll see you guys later."_

"Okay. Later dude." With that, Kazu hung up his cell phone and tossed it in the air thoughtfully. Takato raised an eyebrow at him.

"Didn't we just call the hospital and they said..."

"General practitioner, Chumley," Kazu interrupted, giving him a curious look. "What? You didn't think that _every_ place with a doctor in it was a hospital, did you?"

"No!" Takato replied vehemently, his face blushing slightly at the gaffe. "A-Anyway! Are we going to wait here for him or…?"

Kazu sighed heavily and pocketed his phone. "Not much else to do. Today's been a bust." He frowned. "I told my mom I'd be back at a certain time too. I wonder if she's heard about this. If so she's probably freaking out too."

"Better give her a call and let her know that you're all right."

"Yeah, better do that," Kazu nodded, fishing out his phone again with distaste.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"Almost four…"

"Oh crap!" Takato exclaimed, eyes bugging wide in their sockets. "I was supposed to be at Rika's house an hour ago to walk Guilmon!" Takato bolted off the steps and started to run, only to stagger to a halt and look over at Kazu helplessly. The boy waved him off.

"Get out of here," he said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks, Kazu!" Takato replied gratefully as he again took off at a run, narrowly avoiding running over another passing pedestrian. Kazu watched him go for a moment before shaking his head and flipping through his address book for his mother.

**###**

David landed on the rooftop of the Meta Foundation's building and looked over his shoulder. Satisfied that he saw no more pursuit from the Guardian Spheres he sighed and staggered over to the center of the rooftop where a platform awaited him. Immediately upon reaching its center, the platform jerked and began to descend. Trying to keep his breathing normal, he removed his burnt hoodie and upon tossing it to the side, he lifted his shirt to inspect the damage.

_"You're hurt Tank,"_ came the voice of a young child in a teasing tone.

"Shut up, Pan," David replied as the platform settled into place. He stepped off and glared over at where tall, dark, and silver-eyed—Alex—stood, his shadow twisting near his feet. The shape parted slightly to form a simple smiley face. David glared at Alex, paying the shadow no mind.

"I'm alive," he said simply. "Happy?"  
"Yes," Alex nodded. "One less person on my conscience. Are you sure no Spheres followed you?"

"I kept taking them down and then they bugged out for some reason. Don't know why." He grimaced at the nasty-looking burn—a deep black and bloody swath that revealed a glimmer of rib—on his side.

"Sphere?" Alex asked.

"One of them flanked me and when I saw it I tried deflecting it with my powers…"

"…which you said you can't do," Alex pointed out.

"I was desperate and stupid. Are you going to blame me for it?"

"I'm sure someone can," Alex said simply. "Owikawa wants to meet with us."

"Of course he does," David snorted. "He wants to tell us what a _wonderful_ job it is we're doing."

_"Everyone did a wonderful job…except you,"_ giggled Pan as his shadow crept up the wall, still smiling. Slashing his hand through the air, a wave of force struck the wall, causing it to deform with a loud _clang._ Pan giggled again. _"You can't hurt me that way…"_

"It helped me feel better," David grated, turning to Alex. "I need a heal…"

"Your body will recover quite well on its own after some rest," Alex said. "Don't push it."

"You're going to let me suffer, huh? I go through hell for this job and this is what I get?"

Alex paused and turned to look at him. His silver eyes flashed with light for a moment before heading back toward the exit. David glanced down at his injury and touched the freshly minted skin where the burn had been scant moments ago. He breathed deeply, relishing the feeling of refreshment that flushed his body. Lowering his shirt, he retrieved his hoodie and followed the man.

"About time something went right today," he muttered under his breath. "Gods I need a drink…"

**###**

"How good it is to see you again," Owikawa greeted David, Alex and Pan in the meeting room. "I am glad that you have survived, and extend my sincerest apologies on behalf of Sabot. Her sacrifice will be remembered."

"Funny, I never thought of 'sacrifice' as a euphemism for being 'murdered'," David growled, leaning backward in his chair and glaring at Owikawa menacingly. Owikawa simply smiled at him, though his lips didn't touch his eyes.

"Her sacrifice was for the future, Tank. As you should see."

"What are our next assignments?" Alex asked, returning the subject to the matter at hand.

"Your previous assignments have been marginally successful due to unexpected circumstances." He frowned. "PlanPol has stepped up their production of Hall Monitors. I was under the impression that they wouldn't have enough of them ready for general civilian protection. However…" Owikawa folded his arms behind his back and turned away from the trio. "…we succeeded in our goal of reducing Guardian forces in this city. By a small amount, but as our forces in the field continue to disrupt incoming supply lines, this will be a significant loss that cannot be afforded. We will continue this action, with only two key differences." He glanced at Alex. "You will access PlanPol's network again and give us the identities of the Hall Monitor's and provide us with live locations of every heroi in the city." Owikawa turned his attention to David. "Your mission will be to begin destroying Hall Monitors in addition to Guardian Spheres. I want you to do this where heroi are so that you can…provoke them into action."

"They're all taking suppressant," David pointed out. "It would be pointless to provoke heroi who can't use their powers."

Owikawa chuckled softly. "We have already accounted for that drawback. Simply do your duty. Are you going to refuse?"

David felt his fingers tighten around the arms of his chair. "Can't," he said, raising a hand to his head and miming pulling a trigger. "Stupid question, 'boss'."

Owikawa's smile vanished from his face, and his expression hardened. "If you understand then don't question your assignments."

"He was merely pointing out a factor that we weren't aware of," Alex said, getting up from his seat. David smirked at Owikawa before following suit.

"Don't look so upset, Owikawa. You're trying to buck the system. Don't be mad that we're doing the same."

**###**

Owikawa made his way down the hallway, greeting his employees as he went before finally entering an observation room with a one-way window at the far end. On the other side he could see the real catch of the day, shackled and bound to a metal platform.

_Today's primary goals were met to a limited extent, but with Shibumi in our possession we now have an ace up our sleeve. Now if only we can get him to work for us… To show us the best places to operate…_

"How is our guest?" he asked Kurata. The other man grunted ambiguously before responding.

"Comfortable in the academic sense that he won't be getting bed sores right away." He glanced at Owikawa. "But so far he hasn't been doing much. Just…staring."

"At anything in particular?" Owikawa asked, noting the blindfold over Shibumi's eyes and guessing that Kurata had it placed on as a safety measure to seal his powers.

"No."

"This worries you?"

"Normally no, but with his power?" Kurata snorted. "Everything is suspect."

"Do you think he should be disposed of?"

Kurata looked at Owikawa sharply. "What? You mean like killing him?"

Owikawa didn't respond, content to let his silence turn the gears in his companion's head. Kurata shifted uncomfortably for a moment before speaking again.

"We should just cut him loose and let him run around on his own."

"He knows too much now," Owikawa returned.

"And whose fault is that? Pan didn't have to bring him back here…"

"He is a piece that I don't want to lose track of," Owikawa interrupted. "Just his one visit in front of our building was enough to bring PlanPol's eye down upon us." He eyed Kurata carefully. "Are you certain that they won't be able to trace anything back to us?"

"Of course," Kurata sniffed. "What do you take me for?"

"I take you for someone who is comfortable. We cannot afford to relax our guard even once until Tartarus rejoins the world. After that, it does not matter." He folded his arms over his chest. "I wonder what brought him back to civilization."

"You could ask him you know. Not that I think you'll get anything out of him."

"Nor do I expect to." Owikawa chuckled harshly. "No, it's better that he stay here for the time being." His eyes narrowed slightly. "We may have to consider the possibility of removing him from the game. Things would be considerably smoother without having to worry about his interference."

"Owikawa…"

"It is just a thought," he interrupted, heading back towards the exit. "There is no need to do anything more than entertain the possibility. One way or another we are criminals to the Empire."

Kurata made a frustrated sound and glanced over at the helpless Shibumi. "If you say so," he conceded under his breath.

**###**

Approximately one hour and two bus routes after parting ways with Kazu, Takato found himself on the street of Rika's home, about one block away. Ruffling his hair, the boy took a deep breath and set off down the sidewalk.

_I really hope that Rumiko doesn't think badly about me for being so late. Rika too… Why would they? I mean…today didn't exactly go as…planned._ Blinking, he found himself relaxing a little. He could no longer see the reptile monster that attacked at the mall, or the citizens being lined up against the wall, or the body of the Midnight Defender as he was flung…

_Stop it!_ Clenching his eyes shut tightly, Takato's body obeyed his brain's command and halted in its motion, waiting for him to calm down before resuming. When he reopened his eyes, he felt…strange. Tired and worn out, as though he had aged somehow and become like his grandfather. Looking down the sidewalk path, his destination seemed extraordinarily far.

_Guilmon…_ The memory of the puppy's eyes spurred him forward with renewed speed. He wanted to see the dog again, if only so that he could have something to hold onto; to give as well as to receive comfort.

_He probably won't be there though,_ he thought, finally approaching the gate. _Rika should already be out walking him._

She and her mother would both be disappointed, but if he explained things to them, then they wouldn't just dismiss him as the irresponsible individual image that he wanted to shed himself of.

He arrived at the gate and rang the doorbell. There was no response at the intercom, leaving the boy to wait patiently for about a minute before frowning. He continued to wait for another minute before ringing the bell again, this time he glanced in through the gate to see if there was anyone around. It seemed futile since he hadn't seen a vehicle when he first visited, but there was always the chance that there was someone outside and just unable to hear that there was someone at the gate.

He saw the hole in the house then, and his mouth fell open. It was just at the edge of the corner from where he stood and not easily seen from just a casual glance, but a closer inspection revealed it almost immediately.

"Wha… What happened?" he mouthed, completely taken aback by the wreckage. There was even an imprint in the ground, as though someone had hit it with the force of a meteor. Panicking, Takato pulled on the gate, trying fruitlessly to open it so that he could get inside. Realizing that it was locked, he grabbed hold of the gate with both hands and immediately began to haul himself upwards, not even thinking about the possibility of someone seeing him. His feet kicked uselessly, searching for some kind of purchase until he finally swung himself over the top. His grip slipped a little and he crashed to the ground, tearing a hole in the bottom of one pant leg on the gate's spikes as he did so. He was on his feet in short order and already on the move.

"Rika!" he called out frantically, dashing into the house through the hole, stepping over its jagged, splintered wood as he did so. "Ms. Nonaka! Anyone?!"

No answer. Takato could see that the hole extended to the other side of the house, and there was quite a bit of wreckage along the way. He followed it out, tripping over a piece of drywall as he did so. "Guilmon!" he yelled, hoping to at least get a bark or something that would tell him that he wasn't alone in the house. Nothing but silence greeted him. Grabbing the sides of his head, he swiveled around, trying to make sense of the situation.

_Get a hold of yourself Takato,_ he told himself. _Deep breaths. Calm down. Let's look through the house and…try and see if there's anyone here._

Deep down he hoped that he didn't find anyone. The fact that no one was answering his calls made him think of the mall again. _All those people… The Midnight Defender…_

Steeling himself, he reentered the house. _I hope you don't blame me for this,_ he thought to himself as he looked first into the living room and then moved into the dining room and kitchen. The house was eerily quiet. Every creak and groan from rubble and floorboards shifting beneath his feet sent his heart jumping in his chest.

"Rika?" he continued to call. He ducked his head into the bathroom, but so far found nothing. Retreating, he closed the door and tried to think of where else to look. The bedrooms were the next logical place, but that felt like a gross violation of privacy.

_Are they even here?_ More and more he was starting to feel that they weren't. He had no basis for this assumption, but there was a nagging feeling that he couldn't get rid of… Something that seemed just under his nose.

His foot kicked a piece of drywall as he reentered the living room. So far the house looked surprisingly well-kept in spite of the two holes. His initial worries retreating, he was starting to think a bit more calmly. _This doesn't make any sense. It's like a heroi broke in or something…isn't it?_

_ Were they kidnapped?_

"Ow!" Takato snatched at his wrist as an electrical spark shot from his hip and danced around his fingers. He scowled at it. The effects of the suppressant were starting to wear off.

_ Well, if this was a time to have them, then all right._ He curled his fingers into his palm, making a fist. _Now if only I knew what I could do besides making…sparks? _He tilted his head to one side. _It's… It's all about concentrating, right? All the old stories made it look that easy._

The memory of his conversation with Riley played through his mind. As he learned over the course of these three days, his powers activating had been anything _but_ that easy.

_I've still got the bedrooms to look at,_ he reminded himself. Lowering his hand he quickly made his way over to the closest door and pushed it open, revealing a large room with a King-sized mattress in the middle. The purple, velvet sheets spread across it struck him as belonging more to Rumiko than Rika. The room was devoid of anyone as far as he could see, and showed no sign that there had been an intrusion or a struggle. That left him with only one place to go; Rika's room.

Returning to the dining room, Takato found himself standing at the door and, taking a deep breath, he opened the door. Like Rumiko's room, it looked clean and was empty; no sign that anyone had forced their way in or that there had been a struggle. The sheets, a light blue in color, weren't made, unlike Rumiko's, and were in a bit of a disarray, but Takato paid no mind to that detail, being a bit absent-minded when it came to keeping his own bed in proper condition. Closing the door Takato clapped his hands together and bowed his head. "Sorry," he apologized.

Standing back outside in the front yard he overlooked the scene where there actually was signs of a struggle. He couldn't make heads or tails of the impact crater, but from the holes in the house there definitely appeared as though something had been thrown through the house with a great deal of strength.

Takato scratched his head, not sure what to make of any of this.

_Did someone break in while everyone was out? I just don't know enough. What…do I do?_

The Companion Module clipped to his side almost seemed to call to him. He still hadn't activated it.

_ I'm out of my depth here,_ he thought, unclipping it and holding it up to his face. For some reason it felt heavier than he remembered it being. _I need help._

He pressed the button that would activate the Companion, and waited as its electronic eye lit up and swiveled toward him.

_"Greetings. I am Companion Module 847921-d5149b. Downloading information pack now."_

"While you're at it, can you call PlanPol as well?" Takato asked. "I'd like to report a crime."

**###**

Tally was waiting for Riley by the launch pad, data pad in hand, as the helicopter flew in for a landing. She could tell just by looking at the other woman's face through the slide-door's window how furious she must be with her. Riley's attention was focused on her as soon as they were close enough to make visual contact, and she was out of the helicopter almost as soon as they touched down.

"With me," Riley said tersely. "My office. Now."

Tally simply nodded, finding herself unable to say anything in front of her. The trip down to Riley's office was uneventful, but for her it was filled with tension that only needed a spark in order to be blown wide open. As soon as they reached their destination, that spark proved to be the shutting of the door as Tally closed the room to privacy.

"Why did you give the order to engage Rumiko?"

Tally swallowed noticeably, and her fingers twisted against her data pad.

"She was going into the junkyard," she replied, her words tumbling out rapidly. "Given the properties of that place I was afraid that we would lose her or cause damage trying to contain her."

"You ordered an engagement while she was inside the junkyard, Tally. You could have caused damage right then and there. Don't tell me that didn't cross your mind!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think…"

"You _damn right _you didn't think!" Walking up to her, Riley stabbed a finger in her face, causing the woman to flinch away reflexively. "That warp is unstable enough as it is already, and Rumiko is a high level Beta with unmeasured strength capacity. If those Guardian Spheres didn't crack the code on her F.S. Field there would have trouble and we would have lost those spheres, never mind what _other_ consequences could have happened if there was damage to the field generator. We still lost some of those spheres and we cannot afford to lose any until we get resupplied. What do you think we're going to do if we can't? Put all of our agents in the field and _hope_ that they can keep the peace with the heroi?"

Tally was silent in spite of her wide eyes. Riley spun around and walked over to her desk.

"You've been a good assistant, Tally. Until now you haven't given me a reason to regret putting you in that position. Gods…" Riley pressed a hand to her face before turning back to face her. "This wasn't public, so there won't be a reprimand. You won't have to worry about that going into your file, but you've damaged my trust in you. Worse, you caused harm to a heroi that we _need_ cooperation from. I don't doubt Rumiko will let this slide, but she's going to remember this, which puts us in a difficult position in the future. Do you understand what this could cost us?"

"I do," Tally replied stiffly. There was nothing else she could say. What more _could_ she say?

Riley was about to reply when her office phone began ringing. Practically tearing it free from the receiver she asked, "What is it?!"

Tally jerked slightly. Riley was normally composed and professional toward people that hadn't earned her ire. To see her act like this to whoever was on the other line was…unsettling. Watching her, Tally noted her friend's eyebrows furrow slightly, and her mouth twitch.

"All right," Riley said a moment later, rubbing at her temples. "Send some agents down to the house and take his statement. Seal the area and put the Guardians on notice to be on the lookout for Rika Nonaka. Keep me posted."

With that, Riley replaced the phone on its receiver and returned her attention to Tally.

"Takato Matsuki is at the Nonaka residence. There seems to be evidence of a break-in of sorts." Tossing her head slightly she returned the attention to the matter at hand. "You said that you understood our position. Prove it by working with Rumiko. That is all. Dismissed."

Tally nodded and left her superior alone. Shutting the door behind her with a quiet click, Tally stood there for a moment, waiting for her heart rate to slow down and for strength to return to her legs before moving again.

She had messed up; betrayed the trust of her friend and superior. She was going to have to work hard to get that back, even though it meant working with a heroi.

Tally's mouth twitched slightly as she walked off down the hall, wondering how she was going to be able to do that.

8


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 29

Special Agent Haru Maeda scowled beneath his sunglasses as he surveyed the destruction in front of him. The cargo truck was on its side, its container ripped to shreds.

"The other half of the vehicle is that way," said Fumiko, pointing down the road. Haru followed her gesture across a slew of overturned, crushed cars and trucks to spy the distant silhouette several miles distant. Haru nodded, not bothering to ask if there had been any casualties. Just seeing was enough to know that they were an inevitable outcome of today's 'accident'.

_That's the spin that we're having the media give,_ he thought. _But I doubt anyone on the net will believe it._ He glanced down at the road, grimacing at the cracked, five-foot long footprint imbedded in the surface.

"What are we looking at?" he asked, approaching the overturned cargo truck.

"Possibly Delta Class," Fumiko replied. "We're looking at an extreme transformation here with high levels of physical power."

"Possibly?" Haru touched the surface of the truck and ran his hand along the indentation all the way to the jagged tear. The metal had been a derivative of research into reviving Adamantine steel—Durantine. It was nowhere near as durable as its Adamantine counterpart, but was significantly more cost-effective as a general-purpose armor, being capable of shrugging off conventional explosions such as stinger missiles and light anti-tank rounds.

_To be able to do this…_ he thought, withdrawing his hand.

"Some of our cleanup crew have registered radiation on damaged sections."

Haru looked at Fumiko with alarm, but she was quick to continue. "The levels are too low to be dangerous to human life, but still it's a…" She coughed lightly. "…footprint, sir."

"So either a Delta or a Gamma," Haru concluded. That was not good. Delta's and Gamma's were almost the same creature in terms of power, except that a Gamma, like their weaker Epsilon brethren, was artificial in birth and, more importantly, unstable. "What do the witnesses have to say?"

"Some of our agents are interviewing them now," Fumiko replied, pointing over to an ambulance. "They seem pretty hysterical so we're having some trouble getting the story out of them. The only thing that they can all agree on is what the evidence…" She nodded to the giant footprint behind them. "…plainly tells us. Whatever attacked the convoy, it was _big."_

"What about the cargo?" Ducking his head into the truck's interior, he suspected he already knew the answer to that question, as much as he hated to believe it.

"All destroyed or missing sir."

_I thought as much,_ Haru thought, stepping back. "Expand the search perimeter just to be sure. The Director wouldn't like it if we weren't thorough about this." He drew in a deep breath and placed his hands on his hips, already wondering how he was going to explain this to his superiors.

_Better tell them first that Shinjuku is in danger of a Lock Down situation…_

**###**

Rika was startled awake by the sound of joggers running by the bush she slept behind. Rising, she rubbed her arms to get her blood circulating.

_Invulnerability's back,_ she thought, looking down at a twig trapped beneath her hand. She felt it digging into her, but no pain came with its touch. She breathed a sigh of relief. Two doses of Suppressant were more than she ever wanted to experience within her lifetime. _It won't happen again._ She narrowed her eyes. Brushing herself off she stepped out into the park, checking both ways to see if anyone saw her. She doubted anyone would pay any notice to a teenager walking around the park, though one that looked a bit disheveled might cause some eyebrows to rise.

_So long as Mom hasn't already reported me to PlanPol that is,_ she mused, rubbing her arms again. The air still held a bit of a chill to it. _Too bad invulnerability doesn't do anything for temperature. Note to self: don't leave sleep outside at night without taking a jacket. What time is it?_

She patted the side of her jeans. She didn't have her cell phone with her. Cursing under her breath she set off down the path, not sure what to do right now. There was the junkyard but when she went there last night the place had been under lockdown. With no way to contact Ken and no powers she could only hole up somewhere until the Suppressant wore off. Now that they were back…what now?

_I doubt I can check out the junkyard. If PlanPol is watching the place I can't go there without being caught. And home…_ She curled back her lips a little angrily. She didn't want to see her mother.

What else was there to do?

There was the Meta Foundation.

_Ran's there,_ she thought. _That…vision or whatever it was I saw yesterday… She's got to be there…_

She thought back to when she retrieved the hard drive from the Meta Foundation's offices. Ken assured her then that he needed a few days to crack its security and after she made contact with Shibumi he would tell her how to get her sister out of that place.

_I was so close and then Mom had to go and ruin it all. And Shibumi got nabbed anyway…_ She resisted the urge to run a hand through her hair in frustration. Everything that could have gone wrong did just that. She lost her contact and was forced to rely on the possibility that the boy he tapped was important while waiting for Ken to do his thing. Takato was a useless lead. She was sure of that now. Oh, his powers were manifesting in spite of his Suppressant, but so far what she saw seemed par the course for an Alpha. What did he have to offer?

_Nothing. Nothing at all. So what am I left with?_

She cleared the tree line of the park and looked up to see the Meta Foundation building a short ways off in the distance. It towered over every building in the city, including that of PlanPol. That was the only place left.

_I should have done this in the beginning,_ she thought, preparing to kick off the ground. No sooner did she start to do so did a heavy, oppressive force bare down on her, keeping her grounded.

"Wha…?" she gasped, startled.

"Found you, called a voice—Michael's—from off to the side. Straining, she turned her head to the side to find the man approaching her.

Straining against his leash, Guilmon, barking happily, was leading the way.

"How…?"

"The nose knows," Michael said, tapping the organ for emphasis. "Took a while to catch your scent." He breathed a sigh of relief. Rika saw that he looked truly wretched, with dark bags under his eyes. Perhaps it was her imagination, but he looked older now than he did when she saw him yesterday.

"No…I mean…" She strained to lift her legs, but she remained firmly rooted to the ground.

"That would be my power," Michael said simply, an exhausted smile on his face. "Rumiko had trouble dealing with it too back in the day. Why do you think she called me?" He came to a stop and let Guilmon loose. As expected, the dog rushed over to the girl and leapt onto her legs, eyeing her with wide, sparkling eyes. "Seems he missed you," he observed.

"Stupid…" Rika growled, pushing the dog back with some effort. Her eyes glared anger at his apparent betrayal before turning back up to Michael. "All right… You caught me." She flexed her muscles against the force still holding her grounded. _Telekinesis? _she wondered. Michael hadn't detailed what his ability was, but that seemed to be the most likely case.

"Come on home," Michael said flatly. "Or better yet, how about we get something to eat first?" He looked her over before shaking his head. "Seems it's been a hard night for both of us. Why'd you run off like that?"

"Like I'm going to tell you!" Rika snapped.

"Why not?" Michael prompted. The girl simply leveled a glare at him, to which the man sighed.

"All right. Well, there's no point doing this on an empty stomach. Let's go. I know a diner nearby that has some great Danishes. Your powers are going to need it in order to function properly."

"Functio…?" Rika paused in her resistance long enough to tilt her head to one side in confusion. Michael met her look of confusion with a serious expression.

"I'm not giving you any Suppressant," he told her. "But if you want to take off you're going to have to trust me with your story." He looked at her sympathetically. "You're going to have to trust _someone_ with it eventually you know." He paused before adding, "I want to get your sister out of there too."

Rika blinked. _Get Ran out of there…? What does he mean by that? Does he know? Does that mean Mom knew all along?_

"You're trying to trick me," Rika said, narrowing her eyes. Michael smiled.

"You know, instead of jumping to conclusions we could both just swap tales and be fed." He glanced at Guilmon, who was now sitting on his haunches, looking up at Rika, his eyes still wide and gleaming. "Besides, I know which one the pup would prefer."

Rika pushed against her invisible bonds again, but found herself unable to so much as lift an inch off the ground. It looked like she had no choice but to play along.

_Besides,_ she thought, hearing her stomach growl at her, _I am kind of hungry…_

Food was important to a growing body and a growing power.

**###**

Phone to her ear, Riley sat in the observation lounge, watching Takato on the other side in the building's gymnasium as he spoke to the technician in front of him. The room's exercise equipment had been hastily pushed off to the side to allow the boy plenty of room to work, and given the unknown nature of Takato's powers, room would be _very_ important. Four orbs hovered nearby, boxing him in—a security precaution in the event Takato went out of control.

She glanced away and looked down at the file in her hand. Tayuya's autopsy report.

"So you're certain that there's nothing else that her body can tell us?" she asked the forensic pathologist, Dr. Makoto Kanagawa, on her phone.

_"At this stage, yes,"_ he replied stiffly from the other end. _"I've sent blood samples to your labs for genetic analysis, but until we hear from them, I can say that we've gone over the subject's body with a fine toothed comb."_

Riley nodded, continuing to look over the report. The cause of her death was listed as a question mark, but the current hypothesis, based on the pattern of damage to the brain, suggested that a type of device had been implanted and was activated once it became clear that she was captured.

_The outline of this looks familiar,_ she thought, looking over circled points of interest. Next to a large hole in the center, lines of dark discoloration, resembling acidic burns, were spread throughout the whole of the brain like a spider's web. Every part of the brain that could so much as aid the body in living had been destroyed. It did its work quickly, severing neural connections, burning out others and hijacking internal organs and forcing them to fail.

_"Nasty piece of work isn't it?"_ Makoto remarked. _"I have to say that I haven't seen anything like this since University."_

Riley glanced down to the cause of death. "Do you have any idea what kind of implant could have caused this?"

_"The closest I can think of would be the 'Brain Bomb'. It was a Silver Age weapon of coercion used by a nemesi by the name of Hive. Disobedience meant you had your head burned from the inside out. They're outlawed in every country since Hive's fall. The damage pattern is a little different, but the result is the same."_

"Hmmm…" Riley frowned and placed a finger against her chin, massaging it thoughtfully. "We've never had a report of this kind of tech being used since early Bronze…"

_"It's not exactly easy to make, acquire, or install,"_ Makoto pointed out. _"An oppression collar is always cheaper to control someone with…"_

"…but we track that sort of thing." Riley added, closing the folder. "Someone went to a great deal of expense and effort to keep that girl quiet." She pressed her lips together, thinking for a moment before finally saying, "That will be all for now. Thank you doctor."

Dr. Makoto _harrumphed_ and the line went dead. She couldn't blame him for sounding annoyed. The man hated dealing with PlanPol, and hated dealing with her even more.

_The destruction of the brain causes some problems,_ she thought. _But I think we can work around them using Tayuya's cranial impressions. It should give us a starting point at least and we can reconstruct from there._

_Should_ being the key word here. Technology wasn't always reliable where death was concerned, especially with a job as thorough as this one was. There was a high degree that there was also damage to the skulls interior. The lab could only hope to salvage what they could.

_Let's hope that it's enough, otherwise it's back to square one._

**###**

"Okay," the technician said as he attached a wire to Takato's head. "There we go. You're all set."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

The man behind the technician, Henry Wong, stepped forward.

"You'll only need to concentrate," he said. "The machine we've connected you to will stimulate your powers without you having to actively work to control them. Metaphorically speaking, we'll be the ones walking you before you know how to walk."

"That…sounds kind of creepy."

"Sorry," Henry smiled apologetically. "We've found this to be the best method to access heroi powers without putting you directly in danger. Environmental stimuli of your brains fight or flight instincts causes rapid development of abilities."

"Uh…huh?" Takato tilted his head to one side. Henry chuckled, withdrawing a small box from behind him.

"I mean we could either have you fighting a war bot or we could try a non-dangerous approach. Either way will get the same result, but only one will end up with less bruises."

"Oh." Takato chewed his lower lip. _Now that I think about it, all the stories used to say that a heroi's powers would kick in as soon as they were in danger…_

"One more thing," Henry continued, opening the box in his hand. Withdrawing a small, tubular device he presented it to Takato, who's eyes widened in recognition.

"Jeri!" he exclaimed. As though on command, the Companion's electric eye lit up and swiveled toward him.

_"Hello Takato,"_ she greeted. _"Are you all right?"_

Hearing the tone of worry in the computer's voice, Takato moved toward her and retrieved her from Henry, cupping her in his hands. Her calling the authorities was far away from his mind at the moment. He didn't care now that he had her back by his side. "Better now. How about you?"

_"I'm now operating at normal capacity,"_ Jeri replied, eye blinking blue.

"She'll be assisting in monitoring you while we conduct the test," Henry clarified. "Her job is to log your vital signs."

Takato nodded at the man before clipping Jeri back to his belt. Clapping his hands together, he took a deep, anxious breath and let it out.

"Okay," he said. "Let's do this."

**###**

Henry exited the gymnasium and joined Riley at the observation lounge.

"We're all set," he told her. Riley nodded. Before she could return her attention to the test, the doors to the room opened and in walked Agent Coleman with Teruo. The young boy looked bored out of his head and was sulkily glancing around him.

"So has this dumb test started or can I go now?" he asked irritably. Henry frowned.

"The test is about to begin," Henry replied, indicating one of the seats at the window. "Please be quiet while Director Ootori watches."

"Fine," Teruo sighed. With a slight pout, the boy sauntered over and sat himself down, landing in the chair heavily. Riley eyed him for a moment. Although she was well aware of Henry's 'charge', she rarely ever dealt with the boy or met him personally. She had to say she was a little bit disappointed with his attitude, or perhaps disappointed more in PlanPol pinning their future hopes on him, but given his age she supposed she couldn't fault Teruo.

_Being made to run through test after test like this to gauge the extent of your intelligence is enough to make anyone cranky,_ she mused, folding her arms over her chest.

A few moments of silence passed before Teruo spoke again, this time his voice full of heavy expectation.

"Let the nightmare begin."

**###**

Takato closed his eyes. "Concentrate, huh?" he murmured under his breath. "I have a hard time just concentrating in math class. I don't think I even know the meaning of the word."

_"I've heard that it's a good idea to listen to your breathing," _suggested Jeri.

"That works?"

_"It seems to when you're falling asleep."_

Takato raised his eyebrows. _That's right. She watches everything I do._ He wasn't at all sure if he should feel disturbed by the notion. On one hand, Jeri was a computer. On the other she was watching him…always. _If she were a real girl, she would be seen as a creepy stalker. Kazu would probably say something about how she's a stalker designed by the government…_

He chuckled a little.

_"Takato, it's important that you focus on the matter at hand,"_ Jeri admonished.

"Sorry," Takato replied, cracking open one eye as he scratched the side of his nose. "I just thought of something funny and…"

A dark shape with burning red eyes fell before him and Takato yelped as he fell backward, hitting the floor with a resounding thud.

"Bu-wha…?" Takato stammered, looking around him. The gymnasium was there, but now there was a gigantic, dark blob of a monster sharing space with him. Hissing, it stalked toward him and Takato scrambled away, feet kicking at the wooden floor and leaving dark streaks across its surface. He swallowed a scream as his back hit the wall and he threw his hands over his face protectively.

**###**

"You know, I've got to say that you guys are pretty sick," Riley heard Teruo say. Looking away from Takato's flailing form she frowned at him. Next to him, Henry placed a warning hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled in a placating manner.

"Sorry Director, he doesn't…"

"No," Riley cut in. "Let him continue." She was interested in hearing what he had to say. It was the reason why he was here after all.

Teruo snorted. "What? Am I a trained monkey now?" He peered over the edge of the window to find Takato with his back to the wall, hands up over his face. Although he couldn't see, he was willing to bet that the boy was about set to scream, though at what he couldn't say. The gymnasium was empty. "Jeez… What a wimp."

"Actually a passive personality is a point for him," Henry observed. "Nemesi were notable for having a high degree of aggression, showing a more rapid development of their abilities, particularly in offensive usage."

"It's not helping him now, is it?" Teruo pointed out. "Is his Companion going to clue him in?"

"It's not supposed to," Riley replied.

"Great." Leaning back in his chair, Teruo folded his arms behind his head. "Here come the fireworks."

At that moment, a blast of electricity showered the gymnasium and a giant blotch of inky darkness materialized out of thin air, causing Riley and Henry's eyes to widen in alarm.

"Get security!" Riley ordered as the Guardian Spheres began to make their move.

**###**

The dark creature warped in front of Takato for a moment as it approached him before it suddenly reared backward, mouth outstretched in a silent roar as the Guardian Spheres began to rain laser hellfire upon it.

_"Takato!"_ came Jeri's frightened shout. _"Snap out of it! Takato!"_

"J-Jeri!" Takto's teeth clicked together as the floor shook from the impact of the creature's clawed feet. He tried to speak, but at the moment it was all he could do to keep himself from screaming. An unnatural fear clawed at his throat and froze his muscles. He felt as though he were a child, sitting alone in a crib, eyeing the darkness that surrounded him, hiding invisible monsters on all sides.

Gnashing its fangs, the creature sprouted a tail and swung it at the Spheres, managing to knock one of them out of the air and sending it crashing to the floor. It rebounded back upward and righted itself, but it wobbled dangerously, moving more slowly than before.

_"Takato! Listen to my voice!"_ Jeri urged. _"Takato…!"_ Jeri's eye flashed blue and red in rapid succession as it looked back and forth between Takato and the gigantic monster that thrashed at its attackers. _"Takato…"_ she began, her voice full of trepidation. _"I'm in danger. I'm…in trouble…"_

Takato's arms tensed for a moment before relaxing briefly, uncovering his eyes. As he watched, the creature swatted down the last of the Guardian Spheres before returning its attention back to him. Its form wavered slightly before it drove toward him, mouth widening to reveal a burning red fire building at the back of its throat.

Fire flashed within Takato as well, but the blaze was more of an internal variety. Blue lightning danced around his body as he stood up and aimed the palm of his hand at the creature. A bolt of electricity shot forth and struck the beast in its gaping maw. Its body shuddered before twisting as though around a cyclone. Sweat crawling down his brow, Takato clutched at his arm, straining to keep it up as he poured more power into the blast. He wasn't sure _how_ he was doing it, but the need in Jeri's voice kept pushing him to do what he was doing all the same, and he did so by pouring every fiber of his being into the shot. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the creature burst into a thousand dark shards that rapidly vanished into thin air. Takato's blast melted away almost immediately and he stood there for one long moment, completely and utterly stunned at what had transpired.

The doors to the gymnasium burst open and as agents filled the room, Takato collapsed to his knees. Tasting bile in the back of his throat, he promptly threw up.

**###**

Riley was no less stunned than Takato or Henry as she stood in the observation lounge, taking in the scene that she had just witnessed.

_I knew that his powers were projected to break barriers,_ she thought, _but this…_

Giving a loud hoot, Teruo slapped his hands together. Jumping out of his seat he banged a fist on the window.

"Nice one!" he hollered through the glass. "The name's Teruo! Look me up sometime! That was awesome!"

Stepping back he gave Riley and Henry a smirk. "You guys are still sick though," he told them before ducking out of the room.

7


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 30

Owikawa closed the door to his office and peeled off his jacket, wrapping it around his chair. Opening the blinds he smiled at the city that lay beneath him.

_Behold,_ he thought, _for I am a nephilim, born from the Divine and of the Earth. Prince of this Tower of Babel._

He rocked back on his feet, humming softly to himself before turning to find a dark-haired youth standing in front of his desk. His smile dropped off his face and he rushed over to his desk, pressing the panic button.

_"I'm afraid that you'll find all communication going in and out of this office to be cut off,"_ the youth said, mimicking a pair of scissors with his hand. Owikawa frowned. There was something to his voice that was…off. As though it weren't natural and was instead being projected from somewhere.

"Who are you?" Owikawa demanded loudly. Stepping back from his desk he tried to compose himself. He didn't like to be taken by surprise.

_"Just a fellow heroi, just like yourself. I believe we have some business to discuss."_

"Do we?" Owikawa chuckled. "And why should I listen to someone who enters my office without permission or my knowledge?"

The figure vanished, replaced by an image of a satellite branded with the Meta Foundation logo. Owikawa's eyes widened as he realized what was going on. _A holographic projection…_

_ "Does this look familiar?"_ the figure asked, rapidly reappearing. _"You don't have to answer of course,"_ he said, smiling as the satellite image was dismissed. _"I've got your dirty laundry after all. One of my associates was the one who retrieved it for me. I'm sure you haven't forgotten the little break-in from four days ago."_

"You were behind that?" Owikawa narrowed his eyes. He wasn't liking this development in the least. "It seems you have me at a disadvantage…"

_"Not one that will remain for too long,"_ the figure comforted. _"I don't intend to expose you. I have a vested interest in your project succeeding after all."_

Owikawa searched the youth's eyes, trying to gauge his intentions. There was something about him that seemed…familiar.

"Who are you?" he repeated. Ken chuckled and brushed off invisible dust from his long-sleeved shirt.

_"The name is Ken Ichijouji. I was there when the city vanished. Well…I was alive anyway…"_

"Ken…" Realization flashed through Owikawa's mind. "You were known as the Scion in the Bronze Age; one of the leading minds of your time. A prodigy even…"

_"That was then, and this is now."_ Ken placed his hands into his pockets and leaned back. _"And right now your plan won't succeed."_

"The satellites?" Owikawa asked. "Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion…"

_"It's not an opinion. It's a fact."_ Raising a hand containing a computer disk he continued, _"I'm sending you a small piece of information that I've gathered from my investigations into PlanPol, particularly on the activities one of my associates—Shibumi, who you have in your custody,"_ He smiled at Owikawa, _"and it just so happens that they have a way to shut you down once you set your plan into motion."_ He pocketed the disk. _"You're in danger of being checkmated and you don't even know it."_

"If PlanPol had such an ability, I would have known about it by now."

Ken gave out a hearty laugh and looked smugly at Owikawa. _"You really do know so little don't you? Shibumi knows in fact. He put it into motion himself as soon as he got into the city! This is a _recent_ development, Owikawa. PlanPol is only tests away from discovering they have a quick and easy key to closing the door on Tartarus. I suggest you send your Noir group to deal with this before Pandora's Box gets shut again. Who knows how long it will be before the time to open it up comes around? Do you really want to wait another three hundred years? A thousand even? Heroi live a long time after all. Our wars last equally as long."_

Owikawa pulled back his chair and set himself down in it, smiling now. "How can I get in contact with you?" he asked simply. Ken furrowed his brow at him.

_"Is this how you're going to do things?"_ he asked.

"I will consider what you have to say," Owikawa replied, threading his fingers together. "But I require proof that it has any value. More than whatever you've sent me. As for this…Shibumi…whoever he is…it sounds as though he won't be very forthcoming. Besides, as they say, the burden of proof is on you. As you can see, I don't hand my trust out to just anyone."

Ken appeared to consider this for a moment before replying. _"All right. I'll get you your proof."_ A small grin spread across his lips, giving him the appearance of a cat that just caught its prey. _"I'll be in touch."_

With that, Ken winked out of existence, leaving Owikawa alone in his office once more to ponder this latest development. After several moments of thought he hit the intercom button.

_"Yes?"_ came the blunt reply from the other end.

"I would like to have a talk with our tenant," he said. "Have him ready for me."

_"Yes sir."_

"Also, after you're finished, I would like for you to have Kurata come to my office. I have something he needs to look at."

_"Understood sir."_

Owikawa hung up, pressing his fingertips against each other.

**###**

The first thing Rumiko saw upon waking up was a bright light glaring into her right eyeball. Reacting instinctively, she struck out at the light, knocking it away and eliciting a cry of surprise from its owner. The blow didn't feel very powerful though, and even though her mind was addled by what felt like utter exhaustion, she could tell that her reflexes were not what they should have been. Sitting up she swung her legs over a bed and touched down on the cold, tile floor while in front of her, the nurse fell back, one hand pressed to her reddening cheek.

_If I had been at my full strength her head would have been taken off, _Rumiko though lucidly a second before her head swam from getting up too quickly. Grabbing the side of the bed, she tried to steady herself.

"I see you are doing quite well," came a rough voice. Looking up she sighted a doctor looking her over warily while the nurse behind him was being tended to by a coworker.

"Where am I?" Rumiko rasped. Her throat felt hoarse and dry as a desert.

"Shinjuku General hospital," the doctor supplied. "I am doctor Yamamoto. PlanPol authorities brought you in." He paused and grimaced. "For what they wouldn't say, though you were unconscious when they found you."

_Among other things I'm sure,_ Rumiko added in her mind as memory flooded back to her. She knew her condition had been less than stellar when she arrived at the junkyard, having barely bothered to change her clothes. "Oh God… Rika…" Rumiko staggered forward and collapsed into the doctor's arms, who led her back to the bed.

"You're going to have to rest I'm afraid," Yamamoto advised her. "I'll inform the PlanPol agent that you're awake and…"

_No!_ Rumiko pushed against the doctor, instinctively trying to summon her F.S. Field. The familiar glow and power that accompanied it did not arrive and at once she knew what was wrong with her. _Suppressant! They have me under Suppressant! No! I've got to get out of here! Rika! Rika!_

"Nurse!" Yamamoto shouted over his shoulder as she began to twist out of his grasp. As tired and clumsy as she felt, all of her old instincts were still there, and they at least came to her aid. Slipping free she brought her hand around, palm out, and struck the doctor across the jaw, silently apologizing for doing so. The man slumped as his eyes glazed over and Rumiko struggled to push him off.

The two nurses were on her seconds later, loudly shouting for assistance as they pinned her to the bed.

**###**

"You have a habit of causing trouble for us, don't you?"

Rumiko pulled against her restraints and looked sullenly over at Tally. Outwardly she was calmer now, but inside her mind might as well have been a pinball machine, trying to think of a way to escape and find Rika. At the moment though, drugs complicated this, requiring her to metaphorically lie back in the tall grass a little. Anything less would cause still more complications she could not afford.

"Is this the part where you tell me I'm going to be locked away now?" she asked mildly.

Tally sighed inwardly and fought to control herself. She was supposed to work with this woman? "The incident at the junkyard wasn't ordered by Riley," she said stiffly. "She was going there to meet you." She pressed her lips together into one thin line as she fought to keep a neutral expression. "I gave the order to…contain you."

Rumiko simply stared at the woman, not giving so much as a sign that she heard or cared about Tally's admission. After a long, awkward silence, Rumiko finally said, "Is that what she told you to say?"

"I am under orders," Tally admitted. "But it's true all the same." She grimaced and glanced down at the floor. "Ms. Ootori did say that the decision would affect how we worked with you…"

Riley tugged against her restraints. Under normal circumstances she would have said something to alleviate the tension between them. She was invulnerable, so she tended not to hold grudges over personal attacks to her person. However, at this point in time, she didn't feel very charitable.

"Anything else?" she asked, tugging on her restraints to return Tally's attention to the topic at hand, to which the woman acquiesced easily and without complaint.

"It seems that a great deal has happened involving you." Raising a data pad she pressed the touch pad. "Reported damage to your home; an explosion at the junkyard… We're still assessing the damage to make sure that the spatial warp there won't destabilize…" Her eyes flicked over to Rumiko, paying attention to her expression. "You realize that you've breached every agreement you made with our division."

Rumiko looked away, gazing out the window. Tally pressed her lips together. She wasn't like Riley who was always frank with her opinions and quick to dispense her annoyance at others when they failed to live up to expectations.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Rumiko craned her head back toward her. "Where is my daughter?" she asked simply. Tally blinked, a bit surprised by that. Now that she thought about it, in all the excitement no one had thought to contact the girl.

_Did anyone report any calls from her?_ she wondered. No, she would have remembered that if it happened. How should she answer?

"We have received no word from your daughter," Tally replied, deciding that honesty was the best course of action. "I can have someone get in touch with her if you wish."

Rumiko was silent for a moment, curling her fingers together, tugging slightly against her restraints.

"What about…?" Rumiko coughed and winced before trying again. "What about…?" Another cough and she looked over at her nightstand at the glass of water sitting there. Getting the hint, Tally went over and picked it up. Lifting it to Rumiko's mouth, the older woman drank gratefully from it before nodding her thanks to her. "What about the junkyard?" she asked finally.

"That is not your concern," Tally informed her.

"It is!" Rumiko grated, her hands transforming into fists. "Rika… She…"

The woman clammed up almost immediately and a sneaking suspicion began to form in Tally's mind. The junkyard was a favored haunt for many of Shinjuku's youth. It wouldn't be the first time a child became involved in such a thing. Just last year they had an incident with a young girl. Somehow they always found a way in.

Still, Tally had to admit she wasn't an investigator. She would work with the woman, but she could only go so far on her out her cell phone she began dialing the number for PlanPol's security division. "I'll have our people keep an eye out for her." She glanced at Rumiko. "You are still to be restrained and held under our watch for the time being."

Rumiko could only nod numbly at her as the phone began to ring on the other end. Returning her gaze to the window she closed her eyes and bit back the frustration that threatened to spill forth from her.

Should she have told PlanPol about her daughter's powers? Told them about Ken and Rika's association with him? She could only trust Riley so far, as her influence with PlanPol was severely limited. If word got out, her and Rika's lives would never be the same. _Where is Michael in all of this? _She wondered angrily. _He was supposed to be watching her! Even though she's my daughter, she was suppressed! She couldn't just escape him!_

Around and around her thoughts chased themselves, like Rika's dog with his tail, and like Guilmon they never caught each other. For the time being, she was forced to stay put and wait for her opportunity.

_Rika… Where are you?_

**###**

Takato lay in the bed of PlanPol's nurse's office, nursing a combination of a nauseous stomach and a giant headache. Between the two he wasn't sure what was worse. He took some medicine for it, but at the moment it didn't feel as though they were being effective.

_I'm starting to really hate my head right now,_ he mused miserably. _At least my stomach lets me think. Gods, I almost wish I was dead right now. This is just awful…_

"That was so freakin' awesome!"

_Huh?_

Blinking, Takato looked up to see a green-haired boy that looked to be about nine years old with a wild grin surveying him. "Uh…do I know you?"

"Nah," the boy said. "But I watched your test. Our experiments sort of intersected so I got to sit in and take a look-see." He pointed at an eye and pulled down on the lid for emphasis, causing Takato to grimace slightly. The boy laughed lightly and extended a hand. "The name's Teruo by the way. I'm a heroi. PlanPol's golden child."

"Run that by me again?" Takato said, sitting up and pressing a hand to his forehead. It felt like it wanted to split open like a watermelon. He didn't know if a brain could swell up and put pressure on the inside of his skull, but if it could this had to be what it felt like.

_Splitting open sounds like a good idea right now too…_

"I'm 'special'," Teruo said, air quoting himself with his fingers. "I'm one of the few heroi that they don't give any Suppressant to. My powers aren't as destructive in the short term and, as the doctor's put it, would cause brain damage if they tried." He pointed at his head and tapped it lightly. "My power is my brain. I can decode and build any piece of technology I come across."

"Uh…huh." Takato tilted his head to one side. He wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with this right now.

Detecting Takato's discomfort, Jeri's electric eye winked on and swung up to Teruo.

_"I'm afraid Takato isn't feeling well right now. If you would be so kind…"_

"Headache, right?" Teruo asked cutting over the Companion, paying barely so much as a notice to what she was trying to say. "Happens all the time the first time you push your power to its max. And boy _did_ you." Teruo's eyes sparkled. "Dunno what kind of nightmare the head doctors fished _that_ thing out of, but man, you brought it to life. That's going to make some people very nervous upstairs you know."

Takato blanched at that. Seeing it, Teruo opted to calm him down.

"Don't worry though. The sickness usually goes away within a couple hours. Well, the worst of it anyway. Just make sure you drink lots and lots of water."

The younger boy pouted a little, seeing that his reassurance did absolutely nothing of the sort._ What's wrong with him? It's not like PlanPol is going to kill him. They wouldn't even be experimenting with his powers if they thought he'd be a problem in the future._

"Is there a reason why you're disturbing my patient?" came the voice of the nurse as she stepped into view. Turning, Teruo smiled at the blond-haired woman.

"I just wanted to see him before I went off to my next experiment. That's not against the rules, is it?"

"It's against _my _rules when the patient is trying to recover," the nurse replied, putting a stern hand on her hip. Teruo rolled his eyes.

"All right. Fine. I've got to get going anyway." He glanced back at Takato. "Norms. Anyway, look me up sometime. I come here often and by the looks of things so will you. Let's hook up sometime and, you know, hang out and stuff. Later."

Turning on his heels, the younger boy took off, leaving Takato alone with Jeri and the nurse. Groaning, he dropped his head back into his hand. The nurse looked at him sympathetically.

"Still having pain, huh? I'll see if I have anything else that can help you with that."

Giving the nurse a grateful smile, he watched her disappear around the corner of her office before falling back onto the bed.

"Just what I need. A hyperactive brat," he murmured under his breath.

_"He was a little…unobservant about your situation."_

"Really? Huh. I guess I didn't notice." Takato propped an arm over his face, blotting out the lights from the ceiling. "I don't want to have to think about tests anymore. Am I really going to have to come back?"

_"The stipulation in your agreement with PlanPol requires it."_

Takato groaned, not liking being reminded of that. He no longer knew what possessed him to take the deal in the first place. Everything was so uncertain at the time, and yet…

_That monster… They said that came from me, but it wasn't supposed to be there. The experiment was only supposed to…make me hallucinate?_ Pulling back his arm he frowned at his hand. He half expected a curl of electricity to dance up his fingers. _That doesn't even make sense. How was that supposed to get my powers to activate? And how the heck could I make it real in the first place? The last time my powers turned on I jumped across a road and landed in the middle of the park! That is not a 'hallucination-turns-real' power!_

_ Although…if I hallucinated jumping that far trying to dodge a car and I made it real…?_ He sighed and plopped his arm down on his chest. _I'm not even trying to make sense anymore. This is crazy. What did I think I was going to do by joining this place?_

A good question, and one Takato felt that his grandfather would have asked him. The old man had a habit of playing devil's advocate, and asking such a thing would have been the first thing that came to mind. What _did_ he hope to accomplish? Especially when all he did was just sit there, scared out of his mind at the monster he _brought_ into the world.

_"Takato…"_came the memory of Jeri's frightened voice as she called to him in that moment of terror. _"I'm in danger. I'm…in trouble…"_

_ Jeez Jeri… _he thought, placing a hand over the Companion Device. _You're like a lighthouse for me, aren't you? If you hadn't said anything, I would have…_

Takato let the thought trail off. He felt so ashamed for his cowardice. It was absolutely nothing like he had wanted to act when imagining such a situation. It was nothing like how the Midnight Defender—the cities only hero who confronted the terrorists at the mall without hesitation—would have acted.

_I promise I'll do better next time. I'll protect you and everyone around me. Just you watch. No more hiding for me._

Takato's hand squeezed around Jeri as the fire of determination lit up within his heart.

**###**

Kurata thumbed at the unlit cigarette in his mouth, chewing on it as he looked over the file on Owikawa's computer screen.

"There's nothing to be worried about," he said finally. "It's clean. This looks like a standard PlanPol investigation file from the D.H.C."

"So I can see," Owikawa replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The photo on the first page was that of a young boy; normal looking with a rather forgettable face. Nothing that stood out too much. Indicating for Kurata to step aside, he sat himself down and scrolled down the page. The first page was of little importance as far as he was concerned. It gave the boy's age, home address, blood type, where he went to school… Nothing that stood out. His medical page, courtesy of Shinjuku General Hospital on the other hand looked interesting, but only to the extent that this 'Takato Matsuki' was a heroi.

"This Ken guy bothered you over a measly Alpha?" Kurata remarked with a disdainful snort. "He was only turned into a heroi four days ago."

_Four days ago…_ Owikawa grinned. "True, but he also mentioned that Shibumi was responsible for tapping him. That was four days ago, when he was caught by PlanPol. Interesting…"

"He was in a hurry wasn't he?" Kurata asked.

"Just because he was caught? I would believe that if not for the fact that he can see probabilities. You've read the report on him, haven't you?"

"It's not foolproof." Kurata folded his arms over his chest. "Even statistics can be wrong."

"True, but why go out of his way to activate a child?"

"He's just an Alpha…"

"Four four days… Three technically, as today isn't even over. Almost every heroi starts as an Alpha. Very few make the jump straight to their full power, and that is important. Alphas are considered the White Belt of martial arts because their abilities are often unstable in the beginning and cannot be predicted easily. They fluctuate and when stimulated begin to settle into a pattern. This one…" Owikawa skimmed down the rest of the medical report and saw something that caused his eyes to widen before narrowing darkly. Kurata watched him for a moment before coughing politely.

"He what?" He glanced at the monitor, quickly reading over the page.

_'Field manipulator…' _he read off._ 'Possible field generator.' Looks like they managed to put together a projection of him. _

"That puts him…what? As a Theta Class? That's hardly rare. Uncommon, but nothing to write home about…"

"Return to your work, Kurata," Owikawa said, his voice carrying a heavy weight to it. Kurata raised an eyebrow at him, but the man didn't meet his gaze. After a long moment, Kurata shrugged and stepped around the table.

"All right," he said, pocketing his hands. "Let me know when you get your knickers untwisted so you can fill me in. I'll be in my office."

The door to Owikawa's office opened and closed with a click, leaving him alone. Scrolling back up to the first page, he leaned into his hands and stared at Takato's picture.

_Those eyes… Not so average anymore are they? Once upon a time, you would have been beneath my notice, but now… Now you have been noticed._ He glanced over at his phone and lifted it off his receiver. _I am sorry, _he thought._ But this is for the future after all._

Dialing a number he leaned back in his chair, waiting until the other end picked up.

"Sorry to disturb you," he said, a small smile spreading across his face. "But I have a new assignment for you…"

_Whether the satellites succeed or not,_ he thought, thinking back on Ken's warning. _I win._

7


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter: 31

Owikawa entered Shibumi's cell and came to a stop in front of him, regarding him as he lay there on his platform, arms tied and shackled around his sides and his eyes blindfolded.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked aloud. He chuckled slightly. "That was a rhetorical question by the way. I don't expect you to answer. Do you know why I'm here?"

Shibumi turned his head toward him. Though his eyes were blindfolded, Owikawa had the distinct feeling that the man could still see him regardless.

"Why don't you tell me?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face. Owikawa chuckled again.

"Very well. I received some interesting information today. I'm hoping you would be so kind as to confirm it. It concerns a young boy that you encountered in the park on the day you were arrested."

Shibumi, still smiling, nodded in response. "There was a witness there."

"And you activated him?"

"Perhaps he was already active…"

"I don't appreciate games, Shibumi," Owikawa replied, frowning. "Not from you. Honesty is required here."

"Or?"

"I believe that will determine the fate of the child you tapped," Owikawa replied, paying Shibumi's remark no mind. "Right now, one of my agents is keeping an eye on him. His powers are…underdeveloped, but show promise." He smiled. "In fact they show _incredible_ promise. One word is all it will take to determine whether that promise will be fulfilled or cut off before it can flower. Did you activate him?"

"Yes."

Owikawa nodded. "Good. That is all I need to know. Thank you." He was about to turn when Shibumi stopped him.

"Your little drama isn't what you think it is, you know."

Owikawa looked back to him, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"It's why Tartarus was banished in the first place. You're playing the same game that they were. Bringing it back won't change anything."

Owikawa smiled. "I thank you for your input, but it was not necessary." A pause before he continued. "Do you have any special requests for lunch? I can have the cafeteria bring you something different if you want…provided that you make no attempts to escape."

Shibumi gave a light laugh. "Thanks, but no. I'll be eating out shortly."

Owikawa raised an eyebrow at that, but left the man alone to his thoughts. Closing the door to his room behind him, Owikawa proceeded down the hall, his mind troubled.

_Shibumi is gifted with the ability to see and activate probabilities. What could happen that could free him?_ He narrowed his eyes. _I'll redirect some more guards to cover him. A pity that PlanPol pulled the Guardians from this building. They would be better used for that task. Perhaps I should dispose of him after all…_

_ No. He could still be useful, and a gift such as his would be wasted if he died._

All the same, Owikawa could not rid himself of the dark feeling that settled over his thoughts.

**###**

"Here we go," said Michael as both he and Rika entered the restaurant and stepped into line. "Just order whatever you want and I'll pay for it. What do you have in mind?"

Rika didn't answer right away, glancing down at Guilmon, who pushed up against her leg. Once more she tried to push off the floor with her powers, try to levitate, but just like last time—and what had to be a hundred such attempts by this point—she remained rooted. She could walk, but nothing more.

"You said that they sold Danish's here?" she asked, returning her attention to Michael.

"Sure," he replied. "But that's not all they make. Bagels; bear claws; ham and cheese on a croissant…"

"I'll just take the Danish," Rika interrupted. "I don't want anything fancy."

"Here, they might as well be fancy," Michael grinned. "You'll like them."

Approaching the counter, he asked for three Danishes and upon receiving and payment, the pair made their way over to an empty table to have their meal. Sitting down, Rika carefully eyed Michael before glancing down at her food. It looked like a standard coil of bread with cinnamon markings—no different from the million and one Danishes out there. Michael bit into it, his eyes rolling up inside his head, pausing to savor the taste. Chastising herself for hesitating so long, she followed suit and sunk her teeth into it.

"How is it?" he asked, swallowing.

"Not bad," Rika replied after a moment of thoughtful chewing. Michael smirked and pushed the other Danish over to her.

"Eat up," he urged. "Now…about our discussion…"

"You first," Rika started. Michael simply nodded, as though he expected nothing less.

"What would you like to know?"

"What you said about my sister. You said you wanted to _get her out of there."_

"The Meta Foundation," Michael replied as Rika took another bite. "She wanted to investigate it, so she signed up…against Rumiko's wishes."

"I already know that," Rika remarked dully. "They had a fight about it and Ran took off and slept over at a friend's house for a while. Mom didn't want her working there."

"Actually Rumiko was just against the idea of her going there and working with them directly. To her it was a little…too close to home. In fact, that was how Rumiko started investigating it, and later Ran. Your father worked there once."

"Dad?" Rika raised her eyebrows. She couldn't remember her father honestly. She asked about him once when she was five—he was a man by the name of Spencer Damon—but the only answer she got from her mother was that he left while Rumiko had still been pregnant with her. Ran had only been a little more forthcoming, but not by much. She since stopped caring and went on with her life. At least, that was what she told herself up until now. "Did you know him?"

"I set the two up," Michael admitted, running a hand through his hair as he looked embarrassed. "Rumiko doesn't sweat the small stuff with relationships due to her age; at least once she's in them. For some bizarre reason she doesn't get into them very quickly."

"Do you know where he is? How can I get in touch with him?" Rika cursed PlanPol for locking down the junkyard at a time like this. If there was anyone who could help her get in touch with him quickly it would be Ken.

"I haven't seen him since your folks separated. Now what I would like to know, if you would indulge me, is what you know about what Ran is doing at the Meta Foundation." Leaning forward he continued in a lower tone. "Rumiko's been waiting to hear from her for months now. Believe it or not, she's getting worried. So what tipped you off? You weren't supposed to know."

Rika narrowed her eyes. "Why was I left out?"

Michael scowled at her. This was supposed to be when he got answers. Still, he decided to indulge her. "You were young and your powers weren't activated. Rumiko worried about what might happen if you knew too much."

"She should have trusted me more."

"You didn't," Michael said pointedly. Rika flinched at that, causing Michael to look at her apologetically. "So how did you find out?" he continued.

Rika licked her lips. "A letter. She sent a letter, and I found it. Before Mom did. Asking to be gotten out." She closed her eyes. At the time she thought her mother had been a normal human, and a self-absorbed one at that as she made few visible attempts to contact Ran or even speak to her on the times she called.

"A letter?" Michael's eyebrows rose. "Do you still have it?"

Rika noted the slight change in his voice. It sounded a bit frantic. "Yeah," she replied carefully. "I do."

Michael got up, cramming the last bits of his Danish into his mouth. "Let's go," he said, though with the food in his mouth, it came out more as "leff gff". He swallowed hard and took hold of Guilmon's leash, tugging him to his feet. "I need to see it. Ran coded her letters. She might have had something else to say in there."

"Wha…? Ran coded her messages?" Rika stood up, her mind frantic at this revelation. In just a short time she became privy to a great deal of information…more than she ever learned in her time working with Ken. In that time since she received her sister's letter, anything could have happened.

_Could she be dead because I didn't tell Mom?_ she wondered urgently. She drew one hand into a tight fist, becoming angry. _This is my fault. Ran is trapped by those guys and I could have gotten her out of there. Mom could have. I waited too long…_

"Rika?" asked Michael, turning to see why she wasn't immediately following him. "What are you doing? I need to see the letter. If Ran had anything to say…"

"Ran is in trouble and the only thing _you're_ worried about is what's in a letter she sent months ago?"

"Rika…"

_"No!"_ Rika shouted, causing the restaurants customers and employees to turn toward her, eyebrows rising in curiosity. Seeing this, Michael gave them all a placating smile and approached the girl.

"Don't do this in public," he whispered. "Do you want PlanPol to know what you are? If they find out…"

"I don't care," Rika grated. "I'm tired of waiting. Tired of looking for answers from people when there's only _one_ place that actually has them all. I'm going there, and you're not going to stop me."

Michael's expression hardened as he took hold of her arm. "Not here," he said harshly. "We'll find your sister, but…"

"I said…_no."_ Rika ripped her arm free and backed away from the man. One of the restaurant's employees broke away from the table he had been cleaning and began to approach them.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

"Nothing," Michael replied, giving a nervous chuckle. "It's all right."

The employee gave Rika a quick glance. "It sure didn't sound like it's all right."

"She's just upset that I'm not letting her see the new Ben Van Dan film…"

At that excuse, Rika grabbed the table they had been sitting at, and Guilmon barked loudly in fear. Her F.S. Field flashed and ripping it out of the floor she hurled it at him.

Michael saw it coming, and with but a glance the table stopped dead in midair before dropping harmlessly to the floor with a loud clatter. The same heavy force that Rika had felt since the park intensified suddenly and she rose into the air. Her arms were frozen at her sides, unable to move despite her commands to do so.

"Sorry about this," Michael said, placing some cash on the table. "I hope this covers the mess." He looked at Rika and jerked a thumb outside indicatively. "Let's find somewhere more private to talk about."

With that, Michael set Rika back down on the floor and, carefully controlling her movements, _escorted_ her out of the restaurant.

All the while they were watched by the heroi known as _Tank._

**###**

"What were you thinking?" demanded Michael as they left the restaurant in angry, hushed tones. "I told you, if PlanPol finds out about you it's over! You already know what it's like to take their suppressant. Do you want that to be your new normal?"

Rika made a series of unintelligible, angry noises through her clenched teeth, causing Michael to realize that he was controlling her too much. Loosening his mental grip, he allowed her to speak.

"I don't care," Rika grated finally, not caring who heard them as they made their way down the sidewalk.

"You _should!"_ Michael rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Rika… What do you think will happen if you fail? You may _never_ get the opportunity to find your sister again if that happens. You'll be under PlanPol's thumbs and they will never let you back up. Rumiko gets by because she's been on her best behavior and knew the person in charge of this district. There's no guarantee that things will stay like that though. You need to think carefully about this!"

Slowly, painfully slowly, Rika inched her arms up to waist level. Michael's mouth twitched in shock upon seeing this.

_I shouldn't have fed her…_

"Rika…" he began, but the girl cut over his words as she continued to raise her arms.

"I'm going to break free," she said in a low, dangerous voice. Her F.S. Field flickered and began to blaze around her, increasing in intensity with every passing moment. "I've never really gone all out with my powers since I got them." She blinked back a tear. "Ran… I've got to rescue her. I'm _going_ to rescue her. Don't stop me Mike, or…"

She stopped short of saying, _"…or you'll be as guilty as I am."_ as Michael was suddenly thrown back by an invisible force. He didn't go far; landing no more than ten feet away from her, but the effect was immediate. The sensation of an overwhelming force holding her down vanished all at once. Turning, she saw a smirking man with hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket approaching.

"Owikawa wants me to cause some trouble," she heard him say. "Best way to do that is to involve _others_ of my kind." Pointing his hand at Rika he mimed a gun with his fingers. "And here I have two. More than plenty."

Upon his pulling the pretend trigger, Rika felt a new, powerful force smash against her body, sending her flying into traffic where she crashed into the side of a car.

**###**

Riley opened the door to the PlanPol laboratory, nodding to the dark-skinned woman standing in front of a glass casing.

"Thank you for calling me, Aishwarya," Riley greeted. "How far along are we?"

"Almost done," Aishwarya replied, pointing at the casing. "Dr. McCoy is double checking the subject's brain activity and cross-referencing it with the cranial impressions and organic remains supplied to us." She grimaced. "There wasn't much to work with," she admitted. "There's a high degree of probability that we won't get anything at all from this."

"How high?" Riley asked. She already had an idea, but she wanted to hear the number from the expert. Aishwarya hesitated before answering.

"Ninety percent," she said finally. "Remember, it's difficult for cranial impression science to get anything reliable…_extremely_ difficult. Even with the remaining ten percent there are chances that what is recovered isn't going to be what you need."

_It will be hard to justify the expenditure,_ Riley thought. _But that's only if it fails. If it succeeds, I won't need to justify anything._

"All set," crowed the voice of Dr. McCoy, a heavy-set man with balding hair and thick-rimmed glasses, as he approached, flanked by a half-dozen aides wearing scrubs.

"You work fast," Riley observed. Dr. McCoy grinned.

"It helped that the genetic material was fresh. The fact that it was heroi DNA helped out a lot too, what with its regeneration capabilities. The autopsy report showed some reconstruction of the brain matter for approximately five minutes after the subject's death."

Riley raised an eyebrow. Did she dare hope?

"Is that enough?"

"In most cases, I would say no. But in this case…" He grinned and approached the casing. "…you could almost say that she _wanted_ to live. That's five minutes _after_ blood circulation had already shut down. I've seen previous neuron scans of a hundred cases over the years. That kind of regeneration doesn't happen. She's a fighter." His expression became somber. "It's unfortunate that she died."

"If you did your job, that will be different," Riley said. "Are you ready to open it?"  
"Flushing out the chamber now," he said, pressing a button. Riley turned to the casing and watched as the fluid contained within began to drain. As it did so the casing opened, exposing it to the open air. Unconsciously, Riley shivered, reminded of all the times she pulled herself out of the tub. The assistants rushed forward and took hold of the figure within, drawing her forth while Aishwarya rushed a gurney over. They placed the stick-thin figure onto the table and opened her mouth, clearing it of fluid. Riley took a step forward to get a better view as the figure, obviously female, began to cough. Her leg shifted and her arms attempted to push away the aides, but they lacked the strength to do so. There was nothing there but skin-covered bone and muscles that had never once seen use.

_It's not as though she'll be needing to move much,_ Riley thought. _Not for what we need from her._

The girl coughed one more time and rolled her head to the side. Her eyes met with Riley and she fancied that she saw instant recognition in them.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Tayuya. Unlike last time we won't be simply 'wasting our time'."

The girl turned her head away and was quickly obscured by the bodies of the assistants. Riley found herself grateful. She heard about how clones looked when that spark of knowledge appeared in their eyes and it was never a comforting one to see.

After checking the patient's eyes Dr. McCoy detached himself from the group and ordered them to take her to medical.

"Well," he began to Riley. "She's alive. At the very least we have a person, but I can't say how much she's the person you need her to be."

"Your assessment?"

"Too soon to tell."

"Then an _estimation_, doctor."

McCoy sighed.

"We implemented scans we made of the original source material and impressed them onto her while she was growing in the chamber. But the material was heavily damaged, and I'd like to emphasize that the damage was very…"

"Doctor," Riley said sternly before continuing in a softer voice. "Your estimation, please."

McCoy hesitated a moment before continuing. "Heroi genetics can be likened to backup memory. That's why heroi clones are able to possess memories from their donor or have memories more easily impressed on them, unlike you and I. Her DNA doesn't allow for memory to be retained in any of her clones though, so we're depending on artificial imprinting. The odds are still low and heavily dependent on the cloner's skill. If I had to guess, I'd say that she could have _some_ of her memories, but I won't say that she has all. Past a certain point, given the damage involved, it would be a miracle if she retained anything at all."

Riley stared at him impassively. "Numbers, doctor."

"I don't have the math in front of me, but it's an obscenely low number."

"Work with her," was all Riley had to say on the matter as her cell phone began buzzing in her pocket. Pulling it out with a low sigh she flipped it open and hit the reply button. "Riley." She narrowed her eyes as the speaker on the other end gave her a report. "I'll be up there momentarily," she replied before hanging up. She glanced in Tayuya's direction.

"Er…problems?" asked Dr. McCoy tentatively, seeing the look in the woman's eyes.

"Work with her for now," Riley replied, pocketing her cell phone.

"As you say," McCoy replied as Riley moved towards the room's exit. He turned his gaze at Tayuya's body. _'For now', she said. That doesn't sound good._

**###**

A/N: And with that, I finish out the final chapter of this version of Icon and will now begin updating the story on fictionpress. Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger like this but for characterization this is important. Originally this story was meant to be on this site for only twenty chapters, but as you can see it has gone beyond that. For those who remain interested I hope you'll continue to follow the story on fictionpress where I'll get it edited and back up to speed. I thank everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far. **Bookworm Gal, AkaiZagreus, Sukura, Tamer of the Zero Unit, Guest, RogueTamer2k7, Kuroy, UruExplorer DTC, Guest, 2lol, Guest, seaneoe, Rockbane, **and **FortressMaximus. **Thanks everyone. :)

Until chapter 32 over there, this is Crazyeight signing off.

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